Legends Awaken
by phineas81707
Summary: The future... a world of mystery and excitement, but not enough for one Diviner. She goes back to the past, to claim the heroes of the Age of the Triforce as her own. One man goes to stop her... a Doctor. Draws upon my previous Zelda stories for characterisations. The first chapter is merely a prologue.
1. The Heroes

_An army of monsters besieged Hyrule Castle. Despite the sudden arrival of a mysterious warrior with an odd instrument that single-handedly won many battles, the war was lost for the Hyrulean Army. Forced to retreat and sink into the wild sans Princess Zelda, Impa found herself allying with the odd Doctor χ8 &WӔ and the White Sorceress 4Δ#ΡL. Calling themselves Link and Lana for short, they explain that they have arrived from the future to stop another woman from the future, known as Cia._

 _Cia's desire is to win the hearts of the heroes of history- those heroes and heroines clad in green and named Link. With the aid of the Triforce, Cia managed to open portals to four time periods, each with their own hero._

 _The Era of Time, when the Hero of Time defeated Ganon and struck the timestream in three._

 _The Era of Twilight, when the Heroine of Twilight brought light to even the lands that couldn't bear the thought of it._

 _The Era of the Sky, when the Crimson Glider began the war against Demise._

 _And the Era of the Sea, when the Hero of Winds fought to save his sister._

 _Time, Twilight, Sky and Wind all face Cia's advances… and the advances of a lady of another time with an army of monsters at her beck and call is hardly an advance of love. Impa, Link, Lana and the mysterious ally Sheik split into four, each heading to one time period, to head off Cia's attack, and warn the time period's hero._

* * *

Sheik looked around the desert. Twinrova's Iron Knuckles could be anywhere, though at least their heavy armour would slow them down in such a sandy environment. She wiped her brow: such heavy gear, while protecting her from sand, was really just helping her get hotter quicker. A quick jolt to the back of her mind shocked her from her reverie, and her reactions pulled her from the path of an Iron Knuckle's axe.

 _Shoot… maybe I was wrong…_ Sheik thought. She played the Song of Storms quickly on her lyre, summoning a few jolts of lightning forward into the Knuckle's armour. The Knuckle shook off the effect of the jolt, and swung its axe again. Sheik was sure only her Sheikah training saved her from that one. Surely the next would not be so forgiving?

The Iron Knuckle looked down at its feet. A small cross of flame had appeared there, to Sheik's surprise. It certainly wasn't her that summoned it. The cross burst into a spectacular display of fireworks, knocking out that Iron Knuckle. Two figures raced forward- one a dark red-haired girl clad in a white, more modest and more regal version of Gerudo attire, and the other a young-faced boy clad in the green of heroes. The Hero of Time. The Hero of Time waved his hands in an odd fashion.

"Link asks what brings you to the desert, Zelda?" the Hero's companion, likely Malon, asked. Sheik's eyes looked at this Link shrewdly.

"Link assures you that he is here in aid of his friend and 'sister' Zelda. Really, I agree- you look far too hot in that Sheik disguise," Malon said. Sheik gestured her head over to one side, where, as fate would have it, Zelda was fighting against the Skull Kid. Link jumped, and rushed in.

"Him _again_? You mean you've fought him before? Wait up, Link!" Malon cried out. Sheik watched them go, gears spinning in her head.

* * *

Lana looked up in horror at the Stallord looming over her. Stallord started spraying a dark flame all around, shrouding the sands behind her with something she could only hope was fire. Midna disappeared, and started summoning jets of water from Zora's Domain, which were at least quenching the flames, but Lana had no plan to get to Stallord and deal some damage.

"Whee!" a girlish squeal exclaimed. Lana looked around for Agitha, only to notice Stallord's blasts had stopped. A portion of his vertebrae had shattered, and the cause was spinning around on a top. She wore a loose white top and similar quality pants, and was carrying an intricate rod, the likes of which Lana associated with her time, not the past. Stallord roared, and brushed the woman off the spinner, and into the sand.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" another girl cried out. A girl in green jumped from around the same spot the first girl had come from, and shot a pair of crossbow bolts- one into Stallord's skull, and the other into the lower part of his vertebrae. She landed on the spinner, and bit into the wall. She swept past the first girl, scooped her up, and threw her beside Lana. She jumped from the wall, landed on Stallord's head, and crammed as many powerful crossbow impacts as she could before losing her footing. Instead of falling, she jumped, and struck Stallord's last spinal column, unbalancing _its_ weight.

"Wow…" Lana said.

"Yeah, that's Link for you," the girl said. Link landed on her feet in front of Lana, and scooped up the girl.

"Are you fine to keep going?" Link asked.

"I'll be fine," the girl responded, to which Link nodded. Link turned to Lana, and Lana realised that she had remained staring slack-jawed for much longer than she'd have liked to admit.

"Considering little miss Midna behind you seems to be on your side, we're allies. But this isn't the time to become friends," Link said, before darting into battle with Zant's Shadow Beasts. The other girl followed, summoning a statue with a hammer behind her.

* * *

Impa looked up from the Moblins and Stalfos she was fighting, and noticed a massive black thing over the treetops. Groose's jaw dropped, and he looked around. Recognising a brown track, he clambered up, and ran around. Impa and Batreaux jumped after him, only to recognise their folly as Groose reached his Groosenator and ploughed them. Groose helped them onto a sturdy part of the device, before focusing on the beast. He fired a large bomb, dropping it on its back. Impa watched, as three figures nearby began attacking it.

"Go Link!" Groose called, before swivelling the Groosenator around their side. A figure clad in red sprouted wings and soared up the beast, before slamming down with his sword. The beast dissipated into scales. Groose clambered down, Impa and Batreaux following. The winged man turned to the trio, and held out his hand.

"Thanks for the help, Groose. That was a close one," the figure who had to be Link said. Impa was judging by the fact the other two figures were women.

 _*The odds of success improved 20% with your aid, and our chances against Ghirahim have increased at a rate closer to 35%,*_ the blue woman said. Impa tilted her head, and Link turned to see her and Batreaux more closely.

"Oh, hey! My name is Link, and this is Zelda and Fi," Link said, indicating his partners. Impa nodded in Zelda's direction. Zelda was sitting astride a horse, and carrying a short rapier- Impa recognised the type as one that wouldn't deal damage easily to oneself.

"She new to fighting? She should really stay back," Impa said, pointing in Zelda's direction.

"Who are you talking about? Who is talking?" Zelda asked, looking around.

"And dim, too…" Impa added.

"She's _blind_ ," Link said, his sword's point twirling threateningly. Zelda jumped, and shot a glare in Impa's direction. Her blindness was proved by the fact that Zelda had missed by about five feet.

"Blind? What business has she even _got_ on a battlefield, then, if she's as blind as a bat?" Impa asked, her head tilting.

 _"_ _HEY!"_ Batreaux said. Link's sword flew to Impa's throat.

"I don't care if you are the Impa Zelda loves. Insult her again, and I will neaten whatever travel arrangement you presume we have," Link growled.

"Talk about getting off on the wrong foot, Granny!" Groose laughed.

"Granny?" Impa asked, her sword drawn.

"Boys, stop it!" Zelda yelled.

 _*Infighting will only improve the odds of failure,*_ Fi added.

* * *

Link looked up from the Stalfos army he had charged, noticing something odd gathering in the darker corners of this earthy room. A shadow loomed out of the darkness. Link turned his Luminal in that direction, the Light Sabre's light shooting into the darkness. The light beam stirred around a figure in the darkness, and the light revealed a massive ghost. The ghost dropped to the ground, completely solid. Link looked at his Luminal in shock, before sending a few blasts of light the shadow's way.

"I've got this…" a voice said. A fellow clad in green ran forward, and picked up the ghost with his bare hands. No, that wasn't right… his hands were glowing with a blue energy. The figure tossed the ghost into a pillar, smashing it into its parts. Blue energy gathered around him, as he unleashed a massive hurricane around himself, striking each part as it came. The figure stopped to catch his breath and his bearings, as Link and a woman rushed to his side.

"You did it, Link!" the girl said, giving the figure the biggest hug Link had ever seen. The figure smiled, and Link gave a short cough.

"Oh… hello there. What's your name?" the woman asked.

"My name is χ8&WӔ, but most people around here can't handle that, so I go by Link," Link said.

"Very well, χ8&WӔ. You were fighting Stalfos, so I shall grant to you my aid," the woman said.

"You know how to say that?" the other figure asked.

"Of course. I'm the Fairy Queen, silly… and it's that, or call both of you Link," the woman said, smirking at what must be the Hero of Winds. The Doctor Link sighed to himself. How he was so stupid as to use the Link moniker when he strongly suspected he would encounter other Links was beyond him.


	2. The Sword and the Imp

With Lana's aid, the four Hyruleans rendezvoused from their time-travelling stint at a common location in the time period Cia was attacking from. Their various hangers-on looked between each other, looking at what had been or was to come. Or in the case of Twilight and Wind, what might have been.

"So… four of you, in one place," the Doctor said, looking between the Hero of Time, the Heroine of Twilight, the Crimson Glider and the Hero of Winds.

"I know. This will give us an edge in the battle to come," Impa said proudly.

"I don't think that's why Link's worried…" Lana said.

"Which one?" the four heroes asked in unison.

"…Oh…" Impa said, realisation dawning on her face.

"Well, my Link's at the centre of time, so he gets Link!" Malon stated.

"My Link came first!" the Zelda from the era of the Sky said back.

"My name came from a stable time loop, so I'm fine dropping it… Linkle? No, that's too confusing…" the Link from the Twilight era mused.

"I hated being called Link, too. What do you think of 'Dazel'?" the Link from the era of Winds suggested.

"…Actually, can I suggest names?" Lana asked. The four turned to her.

"I've done a stint as a historian, and dealing with every single Link annoyed us, too. We came up with the naming convention Time, Twilight, Sky, and Wind," Lana said. The four Links looked between each other.

"Well, it makes sense if none of us are Link. No instinctual 'that me' reaction," the newly dubbed 'Wind' reasoned.

"Sky even sounds like a normal, human name," 'Sky' added.

"I'm not so sure on Twilight, but if it's neat…" 'Twilight' chipped in. 'Time' signed something to Malon.

"It's just for now, Time. And I don't know… sounds all right to me," Malon assured him. Time nodded, seemingly calmed.

"So… anything else we need to know?" the Doctor asked. He resigned himself to the name, as it was the only other title he possessed. Sheik raised her hand, and everyone turned to her as she removed her disguise.

"Aha! Knew it!" Malon said. Sheik had revealed herself to be Zelda, causing instant deference in Impa and confusion in the Doctor and Lana.

"Great, now what names do we call you, her, and her?" the Doctor asked, pointing out the Zelda from the era of Time, and the Zelda from the era of the Sky. The Zeldas had fewer aliases to choose from, and Time's alias was Ilia- and there was another Ilia. The Zelda formerly disguised as Sheik merely chuckled, and explained her reasoning; that she was going into hiding to find the person who could help defeat Cia. She was looking for a doctor.

"Found him," Lana said quickly. Zelda raised an eyebrow, and pointed out that she was meant to find him with the aid of her enemy.

"Well… got me there. I'm… well… me and Cia are the same person. Cia is the original, and I'm… I'm the light that was purged from her soul," Lana said.

"Whatever that means, you're still 4Δ#ΡL to me. How ironic you have a delta in your name," the Doctor commented.

"…As for the real 4Δ#ΡL…" Lana started.

* * *

4Δ#ΡL, or Cia, as she had dubbed herself to the monsters she called upon as servants, reappeared in her base of operations, still reeling from Twilight's attack and the odd sensation she got that didn't seem related to anything. Here, at least, that odd sensation had passed, to be replaced by another feeling that was basically identical, until its purpose made itself clear: a bolt of darkness shot from her chest, and circled in front of her. A menacing figure stepped through it, causing the stone under his feet to groan under his weight.

"You!" Cia cried out, summoning her staff.

"You have been my favourite puppet yet, future one. But every puppet meets its end…" Ganon stated.

"…I am no one's puppet!" Cia exclaimed, shooting a bolt of electricity. Ganon caught it, not even budging an inch, before throwing it at Cia, paralysing her.

"Urgh…" Cia muttered to herself, as Ganon strode purposefully down the stairs to her.

"I will claim what you possess…" Ganon said. As he said this, a devious idea occurred to Cia. She scrunched up her eyes, and focused with all the determination she possessed. The Triforces of Wisdom and Power, stolen from Link and the Sheikah warrior, departed her body and sailed into the distance. Ganon, in his confusion, was distracted, and Cia took her chance. Her body exploded, darkness radiating all around her. A golden triangle appeared at Ganon's feet, sending him into the realm of the Goddesses.

"The Hero… will be mine… all of him…" Cia said.

* * *

The group had set up camp by the Temple of the Sacred Sword. The five Links, as well as their companions, sat around the fire talking to each other.

"And then Ghirahim snaps his fingers, and my worst fears get realised. He took control of me! Not for long, mind you, and I doubt he could do it again, but he got me to not attack him as he stole Zelda," Sky narrated.

"Beats mine. Snapped up into a hurricane. That's how I wound up meeting Theresa here," Wind stated simply.

"Redeads. Undead that can take your freedom away with a scream. I don't know how anything can get worse. At least Ghirahim has to try," Twilight said. Everyone turned to Time, who thought a little. He started signing.

"Learning everything that happened to me in the seven years he was sealed away, aww!" Malon translated.

"I thought you lot were supposed to be fearless," the Doctor sighed.

"That wasn't in the job description," Sky observed.

"You guys got a job description?" Wind asked, looking up.

"Doctor… we're not fearless. We're courageous. There's a difference. Fearless implies that nothing scares us. Courageous means we're scared, but we don't back down from our fear. After all, who would save Hyrule if we didn't?" Twilight explained.

"Not me," Wind said.

"I know your upset with what our Zelda did, but do you have to take it out every chance you get?" Malon asked.

"She was about to lock me in an underground compartment of Hyrule Castle, turned into a useless princess," Tetra said. The Doctor rolled his eyes, and cast his eyes to the back of his hand. The symbol of the Triforce was glowing. Lana looked up, and spotted Zelda and Impa. They were transfixed on Zelda's Triforce symbol, too.

"The Doctor has it, too!" Lana called out.

"Interesting… it seems that Cia's grip on the Triforces of Wisdom and Courage have been relinquished," Impa said.

"Wait, you were missing your pieces? Doctor, I didn't need my Courage piece!" Twilight said.

"Nor my Wisdom, Zelda," Tetra said. The two looked to their hands, only to notice the mark missing.

"Time would like to ask how you have a piece in the same time period as him," Malon said.

"…I don't check for that, _mother_ ," Twilight said.

"Enough, you lot! This is our chance to attack, not to squabble!" Lana encouraged.

"Careful, Lana. Cia still has the Triforce of Power. And that's in best case scenario. Are you prepared for that?" Impa asked.

"Am I prepared? Of course I'm prepared! We have FIVE Links!" Lana pointed out.

"Only four of them have proven themselves. What makes you think the Doctor can do anything other than heal?" Impa asked. She had a point- the Doctor had not dealt anything resembling lasting harm to anything more sentient than a monster- and even then, monsters that had the body shape of a Hylian were often met with the blunt edge of Link's sabre. A Light Sabre, but the blunt edge nonetheless.

"…The Master Sword. If the Doctor can draw that, then the goddesses have seen fit to bestow him with the power to repel evil," Lana said.

"Lana… the Master Sword is more than just a weapon. It is a barrier," Impa pointed out.

"Like when it resurrected all Ganon's power in my time?" Wind asked.

"Exactly," Impa said, nodding in agreement.

"You cast Fi in too bad a light. Besides, one Ganon. Five Links," Sky said.

"One Ganon. Five Links," the other Links, aside from the Doctor, echoed.

"How can we be sure we can trust this Link with the task?" Impa asked, staring between the four Links.

"Because I believe in him," Zelda, the Zelda of this era, said. Link and Lana turned to her in shock. She almost never spoke in that way.

"I believe in him more. After all… he is Doctor χ8&WӔ, the greatest Doctor in the entirety of the time-stream!" Lana said.

"Well then, Doctor… if you wanted the chance to prove your reputation, now would be the time," Impa suggested.

"Be as swift as the coursing rain," Twilight said.

"With all the force of a great typhoon," Wind added.

"And all the strength of a raging fire," Malon said in place of Time.

"All while being as mysterious as the dark side of the moon," Sky said. Lana burst into nervous giggles.

"I'll keep that in mind," the Doctor said, sounding only slightly more composed.

* * *

The group entered the Temple of the Sacred Sword. Sky wouldn't recognise the place because it wasn't built. Time wouldn't recognise the place because it was in ruins. And Twilight wouldn't recognise the place because it wasn't ruined _enough_.

"All we have to do is go find this 'Master Sword', and then we're golden?" the Doctor asked.

"It can't be that easy…" Twilight said, nursing her crossbows.

"It might be something as trivial as organising statues in Time and his girlfriends' likenesses… but there'll be a puzzle. It'll aim for meaning over difficulty, but it'll be there…" Wind said.

"I'll take a look," Sky said. He hummed a few notes, and shot into the air. Time waved his hands.

"Yes, that is Epona's song…" Malon said.

"Wait, it was? I guess it sounded familiar…" Twilight asked, looking up in shock.

"Why am I always stuck out of the loop on these things?" Wind asked. Sky resumed his position, and turned to the others.

"Four statues in the far corners of the Temple. The statues seemed to be holding an ocarina, some Twili artefact not unlike Midna's, a sword, and an odd baton. Does that mean anything?" Sky asked. Zelda nodded.

"All right. Time, the ocarina's that way. Twilight, Midna's doo-dad is over there. Wind, baton's over there. I'm guessing that leaves the sword to us, my Zelda," Sky said.

"We really need better names," Malon sighed. She elected not to pursue the matter further, and made to follow Time. However, Theresa stopped her.

"Before we go bolting off all in different directions…" Theresa said, before giving the five Link a fragment of a blue crystal.

"Lapis Lazuli? You had more?" Wind asked.

"I'm still the Fairy Queen. My power's just a little unstable at the moment," Theresa explained. The Doctor affixed the gem to his Luminal, Time to the headband his mask rested upon, Twilight to one of her ribbons, Sky just under his Fireshield Brooch, and Wind on his belt buckle.

"You'll need these to communicate in a hurry," Theresa stated. The Links nodded, and the four Heroes divided to head to their statues. Malon, Ilia, Zelda, and Tetra accompanied their Links.

"…You know, why did you even bother with that?" Lana asked. No sooner than the words escaped her mouth did a mournful horn sound play. Appearing all over the place were ghosts. Ghosts of Hylian soldiers with all sorts of weapons.

"Link needs our help!" Zelda, Midna, Fi and Aryll said in unison, darting off with their companions to get to the statues.

"4Δ#ΡL…" the Doctor said.

"I know, χ8&WӔ… I shouldn't have said anything…" Lana responded.

* * *

Time looked over his shoulder, and noticed the armies of ghosts. He turned back to Malon, who had found the statue. The ocarina was truly the most distinguishing feature, being a deep blue while the statue was a dull grey, but Time couldn't help but notice the statue's resemblance to Malon. Malon stood before it, before a light enveloped her feet. She stood, rooted to the spot, as a green light shot from her chest and into a brooch on the statue's. The statue's brooch shone yellow.

 _Calling all Links. The statue with the ocarina appears to employ Malon's power directly. Caution when fighting the ghosts! You won't have your ally!_ Time thought, touching the Lapis Lazuli with his left hand while his right drew his sword.

 _Understood!_ Twilight responded, as did Sky and Wind. Twilight looked up, and brandished her crossbows. Ilia's yellow light was going into the statue of herself bearing something that did indeed heavily resemble Midna's piece of the Fused Shadow, and thus no aid would come from that quarter.

Twilight didn't need it. And if she did, she had used the Dominion Rod before. She shot down several ghosts, sending waves of fear into the ranks behind them. Twilight felt a pain shoot up her breast, before shaking off the feeling. She was still raring to go, and she wasn't letting her useless mounds stop her.

* * *

The Doctor fought off a bunch of ghosts encroaching on his position, and stepped back. He found himself back up against Lana, and turned to her.

"There's too many to fight normally… they must be being controlled," the Doctor suggested.

"So what! Kill, kill, kill!" Lana responded excitedly.

"Kill what?" the Doctor asked, jumping away. Lana came rushing up, and looked between the Doctor and Lana in confusion.

"Two of you?" the Doctor asked. Lana turned to face Lana, and growled. The two were roped into a melee, one seeming to fight the other on the grounds of confusing the Doctor as to which was which. The two Lanas jumped up and faced the Doctor relatively scratchless.

"So, Link, which of us is it?" the Lana on the left asked.

"You," the Doctor said casually.

"What?" that Lana asked.

"I have many names. Three, I suppose, but that matters little. Lana has never called me Link," the Doctor said.

"You are as clever as Cia said you'd be. I guess this proves your reputation as a scholar true. But the question we have here is… can you strike down the girl you have affections for?" the fake Lana said, pushing the real one aside with electric walls. Another wall was pulled up behind the Doctor, and the fake jumped towards it. The Doctor conjured up a barrier, soaking up the electricity, before sending the barrier forward into the fake. The fake growled, and sent the Doctor flying backwards. The real Lana jumped to her feet, and rushed at the fake. A series of electric walls surrounded the pair, and the real Lana charged forward, performing a flip with electrified heels. The fake Lana dodged, and turned to the real. The fake Lana's jaw dropped, as she realised that the real was never aiming for her.

She was aiming for the electric walls.

The real Lana's heels struck the electric walls, and Lana used that chance to jump from them, before turning and shooting an orb of electricity at the large gathering of walls. A flashy explosion spread from the site of the two Lanas, and the Doctor gasped. He ran up, watching the electricity fade. Two Lanas were lying there. One was breathing heavily, tears in her eyes. The other was lying with her eyes wide.

"4Δ#ΡL?" the Doctor asked, panicking slightly. The exhausted one looked up.

"χ8&WӔ?" Lana responded, not stumbling over the name once.

"Lana!" the Doctor said, pulling Lana into a cuddle. Lana accepted it, still hyperventilating from the experience.

"You know I'm going to have to give you a full checkup after this, right? Also, no fighting until I've ascertained you're fine," the Doctor said.

"Of course, Doctor…" Lana sighed.

"Hmph…" the fake Lana said. The Doctor turned to her.

"You're no fun! I guess putting on a mask wasn't enough to deal with you. Oh, well. I still won't let you win!" the fake Lana said, her lips not matching her words at all. The fake burst into a pile of wood.

"A puppet…" the Doctor muttered.

 _Doctor, the Sealed Statues appear to be activating,_ Sky said.

 _Good. How are the girls?_ the Doctor responded.

 _Not good. They look positively drained,_ Wind said.

"Zelda, can you look after Lana and the girls?" the Doctor asked the Zelda over his shoulder. Zelda nodded.

 _Bring them to where we started. Lana is drained, too. Zelda will care for them while I find this Master Sword,_ the Doctor said.

 _Affirmative. We'll meet you there,_ Twilight said. The Doctor nodded, and began running.

* * *

With Puppet Lana's defeat leaving the ghost soldiers free to wander, the Doctor could approach the pedestal of the Master Sword freely. He stepped up to the sacred blade, before pausing. Was this wise, interfering with the past to such a degree?

"We can help you," a voice said behind the Doctor. He turned, to see that it was Twilight speaking. She, Time, Sky and Wind had appeared behind him.

"Twilight…" the Doctor said.

"To draw it. You're obviously doubting yourself. We'll help you take this step, Doctor," Twilight said.

"That's not it…" the Doctor said.

"Then why are you afraid?" Sky asked.

"…I do not want to interfere in such a momentous occasion. Should someone of the future really claim the Master Sword?" the Doctor asked.

"You've come this far," Wind said.

 _And the Master Sword has proven itself to immunise the time stream against stuff weirder than this,_ Time's words echoed.

"…All right…" the Doctor said. He stepped up to the Sword, and placed both hands on it. The four Links stepped behind him, and placed one hand each on the Master Sword's hilt beside the Doctor's. They pulled, and the Master Sword came free of its pedestal. The Doctor laid claim to the Master Sword, as each of his companions had before him.

"Tee hee hee…" a voice said. The Doctor said, as a horn noise played. A puppet dropped from the sky, which Twilight shot through three times before it landed. Time jumped forward, and drew his sword.

 _Mischievous Imp SKULL KID_

The Skull Kid started playing a song on his ocarina. Well, by 'song', it was the same note over and over again, but the dark mayhem he was causing made up for it. Time darted around Skull Kid, creating a triangle pattern, before letting it explode in a beautiful display of colours. The Skull Kid was sent flying, and Time hurriedly shot an ice arrow. The arrow missed horribly, but Skull Kid landed on the ground in splinters still.

"Hmph. I think I know the only way to deal with you," the Skull Kid said, before playing another mournful note on a horn.

* * *

Zelda finished attending to the five exhausted girls, and left the medical tent for the Doctor later on. She looked up, just in time to notice a massive warrior drop from the sky. He was painted from head to toe in bright, earthy colours, wore a menacing mask, and carried a deadly looking sword and shield, both easily as tall as her.

 _Masked Jungle Warrior: ODOLWA!_

Odolwa stood menacingly before Zelda, shaking its head and making grating chanting noises. Zelda played a few notes on her lyre, summoning a tree underneath Odolwa's feet. Odolwa tripped backwards, and several Light Arrows found themselves in Odolwa's head.

"Giant, makes annoying noises, has big sword. I don't care how friendly it is, it's going away!" the other Zelda, Time's Zelda, stated. Zelda nodded, as Odolwa resumed its feet, turning to Time's Zelda threateningly. Zelda played another song, and Odolwa stopped moving, predicting the trees underfoot.

It did not predict the torrent of water coming behind him instead.

Time's Zelda laid the finishing blows on the warrior, sending its body withering away. Said Zelda turned to the other, smiling.

"Good plan," Time's Zelda said. The five Links came running, but upon seeing the remains of Odolwa, breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well. Now that that's settled, I have patients to tend to," the Doctor said, entering the tent Zelda had set up. Time looked between both Zeldas, and waved his hands.

"When the other Zelda and Ilia get up," Time's Zelda stated.

* * *

The Doctor entered the tent, and looked across at all of the girls that had been depleted by the Statues. He pulled out his Luminal, and pointed it at Ilia, shining a light at her. He nodded, as some sort of information poured into his mind.

"It just seems like fatigue. Nothing that good food and a little exercise won't solve, though I'll see what I can rustle up to get that process started quicker. Potassium, iron… wonder what's available in this time period. As for you, Lana…" the Doctor said, turning to Lana. He shone the light on her, and his face fell.

"What is it, Doctor?" Lana asked.

"Stress and electricity do not mix. This'll take a while to cure, and while I'm doing so, you're not to do anything more strenuous than a light jog for exercise," the Doctor said.

"Doctor?" Lana asked.

"Rest, Lana. I'll give you anything your body needs. For now, the electricity you absorbed will preclude any physical activity," the Doctor said. Lana looked down in disappointment.

"Relax, Lana. With the Master Sword, I'm told that I'll be able to pull your weight and mine twice over," the Doctor said encouragingly.


	3. A Magical Confrontation

The Hyrulean Army marched on the Valley of Seers, emboldened by their prior successes. The Doctor bearing the Master Sword had granted victory after victory, position after position. Very few among their number believed that the war's end in their favour was not upon them. Before they entered the valley proper, they decided to rest.

"Anyone up for some entertainment?" Sky asked.

"Wait, what?" Hylia, Sky's Zelda, asked, looking around in confusion. Malon had indeed become fed up, and forced the three Zeldas to choose their distinct names. Hylia was an easy choice for Sky's Zelda.

"I've still got this," Sky said, pulling out his lyre. He started strumming it experimentally, and frowned. He took the time to start trying to fiddle with the strings. Time signalled something.

"Time says his instrument can get ready sooner," Malon translated. Time had pulled out his ocarina, and began playing it surprisingly loudly.

"Urgh… Midna, do you still have Ganon's magic?" Twilight groaned.

 _"_ _Of course, Princess. It's how I control my wolf attacks,"_ Midna said, holding out the gem.

"Yeah, not going to ask about why you have those in the first place," Twilight responded, grabbing the gem and transforming into her wolf form. She began to howl, and the three Links continued to try and outdo the others.

"Wind, you've got a conductor's baton, right? Try and settle this before Cia finds out we're here!" Impa barked.

"Bring her on," Wind snapped back, but he complied. He grabbed his Wind Waker, and tapped it sharply on a nearby rock. Time, Twilight and Sky turned to him, and watched his movements. Wind began waving the baton around, until Theresa took pity on him and possessed him, granting him some other melodies to play. Wind began conducting a nice beat that the ocarina, howl and lyre combined to produce. Lana found her foot tapping to the rhythm.

"Hey, isn't this…" the Doctor said, as he started to recognise the tune.

"I know! I asked Theresa to see if it was known in this time!" Lana said, humming the tune under her breath.

 _*Dun-da-dum, dun-da-dum, dun-da-dum.*_

"Listen, Lana…" the Doctor said nervously.

"What?" Lana asked, keeping time with the beat.

"I can't let you fight in this battle," the Doctor stated quickly.

"WHAT?" Lana repeated, this time losing her place in the song.

"You're still winded from your stunt against Puppet Lana. And your attempt at fighting before hasn't helped any," the Doctor said. He pulled up Lana's arm, and checked her wound.

"Doctor, I have to help you! Pleease, please let me help you!" Lana begged.

"Lana… you know I have to prescribe what's best for you," the Doctor told her. Lana's head fell.

"Doctor… fine. I will stay back with Zelda," Lana said. 'Zelda' referred to the one native to this time period- she and Sheik, Time's Zelda, had argued at great length as to which would claim which name.

"That's all I ask. Wind! How about something uplifting… do you know the song of Molgera?" the Doctor asked.

"Molgera? That brings back memories… all right," Wind replied. He stopped the choir, and began playing Molgera's song. The tense beginning confused a few people until Time began his piece, and the song instantly inspired great courage.

"A great beat you have Wind playing…" Impa commented. The Doctor turned to her.

"I guess I had you wrong, Doctor. There's nothing you'd fight for more strongly than the health of your companions," Impa remarked.

"Honestly, with Lana calling me 'the Doctor' all the time, you'd think that'd occur to you quicker," the Doctor snarked.

"Har har har… Doctor, what do you plan to do once this war is over?" Impa asked.

"Return to my time, of course. I've received plenty of great feedback about my practices, and every day I spend here is a day that I'm not at home doing what I do best," the Doctor explained.

"But you're a time traveller! Surely your absence could be a second to the future people!" Impa said in encouragement.

"Well, you see, time travel was a bit of a sticky wicket back when it was first developed. What learned women suggested was that, if one were to spend X minutes in another time period, they should return X minutes later," the Doctor explained.

"Women?" Impa asked.

"Pregnancy was the biggest concern when people started exploiting time travel in that fashion," the Doctor said.

"Oh… I see. But you will continue to fight alongside us?" Impa asked.

"Well, who else is supposed to swing the Master Sword around? The only other people remotely qualified already have theirs!" the Doctor said, indicating the Links. Wind seemed to be scolding Twilight for messing up the song.

"One of these days, they will learn to cooperate," Impa said.

"Yes. And perhaps we will learn how to harness the power of Cuccos," the Doctor observed.

"Be careful. Twilight's come close," Impa scolded.

"All right, fine. Perhaps people will spring back to life from death's door. Perhaps the hottest flame will suddenly turn to snow. Perhaps I will find a adynaton that you guys haven't got to first," the Doctor said, throwing his arms up in annoyance.

* * *

The group marched on the Valley. Surrounding the place was a sense of dread- as if something unpleasant were about to occur. One might chalk it up to the nerves before a great battle, but the Doctor had the Master Sword. Nothing unpleasant should happen. A high pitched laugh echoed across the valley.

 _Hydra-Headed Dragon: GLEEOK!_

The Doctor looked up at the beast that had been sprung upon them at once. The surprise was certainly unwelcome, though the Doctor couldn't find a specific rule of war that prevented it. The dragon itself was covered in sickly green scales, and bore four heads, each snarling and drooling.

"Well, that's lovely. It can eat more of us in one bite," he remarked. Without a further word as everyone behind him gathered their bearings, the Doctor drew the Master Sword, and jumped into the air. He slashed the sword in a dramatic arc, but fell short of the dragons themselves. The Doctor landed, tossing aside the Master Sword as he drew his Luminal. The Luminal's electric blade hissed in the air, and three Gleeok heads charged forward at unnatural angles. The Doctor parried one, while Ruto launched water at a second and Agitha send a massive bug at the third. Batreaux had accounted for the fourth head, stopping it from getting any funny ideas. The Doctor jumped, and slashed with the Luminal. All four heads dropped loose.

"What do you think of that, Cia?" Lana asked excitedly.

"No… Gleeok are not tamed so easily," Wind observed. The four Gleeok heads were flying in the air, glaring menacingly at them. However, observing that they were all now armed, they decided to retreat.

"Good call," Twilight said, watching them go.

"That won't be the last we see of them," Impa remarked.

"Obviously. Cia must be planning something to stop us in our tracks, and a beast so easily tamed must not be it…" the Doctor observed.

"What do we do?" Lana asked. She had continued to eye the Gleeok's body, which was showing signs of sentience. The Doctor turned to it, and his eyes narrowed.

"This fight cannot last long. I'll go directly to Cia, and get her to stop this. I'll talk her down," the Doctor said, as if it was the most obvious and logical plan available.

"Are you crazy?" Impa asked.

"No, I'm a Doctor. I'm the best Doctor in the future. If it wasn't for Ganon stepping in, I'd have helped her through her obsession. It's time I proved that reputation," the Doctor claimed.

"…You're going to use your _reputation_ to call Cia out?" Lana asked. She had witnessed the Doctor at work and had reservations- this couldn't bode well.

"4Δ#ΡL knows who I am. She, more than anyone, would know," the Doctor said.

"Right, so…" Impa said, looking at the Gleeok body. It would eventually figure out where its enemies were.

"Time, take everyone from your time, and go to the west side. Sky, ditto with the north. Wind, the east. Twilight, the south. Find the Gleeok heads and defeat them. Those native to this time period, do something about the body and then set up a base. We must prepare for the worst. Even if I can talk sense into Cia, Ganon is still a factor," the Doctor suggested.

"Time is of the essence, boys, so go, go, GO!" Lana added. The Doctor nodded, and turned to run. The four heroes grabbed their forces, and split in the directions the Doctor had suggested. Impa and Zelda stepped up, and considered how to fight the hulking form of Gleeok before them.

* * *

The Doctor clambered to the top of the ruins, where Cia had stolen his Triforce of Courage once more. That would not happen again. The Doctor needed to return 4Δ#ΡL to her senses.

"Four. Delta. Sharp. Rho. Elle," the Doctor started, using her name as an attention grabber. The Master Sword was sheathed, the Luminal pocketed. If Cia made a move to attack, the Doctor would be hard-pressed to save himself. And that was all part of the Doctor's plan.

"You… χ8&WӔ. You're very unwise, approaching as unarmed as you are. I will defeat you, and claim the Spirit of the Hero as mine," Cia told him.

"I suspected you'd say that. I can help you, you know," the Doctor pointed out.

"You can't help me, χ8&WӔ. With this power, I will be able to claim what is rightfully mine… those four medieval heroes, all mine…" Cia claimed.

"Is that so?" the Doctor asked, drawing his Luminal.

"Do you intend to attack me, Doctor? Do you mean to wound, to harm? You would apply all measures for the benefit of the sick…" Cia taunted.

"I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science. Warmth, sympathy and understanding outweigh the surgeon's knife and the chemist's drug. I am treating a sick human being, not a fever chart or a cancerous growth. I will prevent disease, for prevention is preferable to cure!" the Doctor quoted right back. The Oath was his lifeblood, and he'd sooner forget his name than those words.

"You have failed, Doctor," Cia told him.

"It appears I have. As it stands, the options for ending this without becoming an oathbreaker are slim. Killing you now, even though I have had all the opportunity in the world to do so, would break most of them. Never cruel nor cowardly… never give up. Never give in. Time. Twilight. Sky. Wind. Your autonomy is not healthy for them," the Doctor said with confidence. However, he had faltered. As he spoke, as he drew upon his knowledge of medical ethics to make his point. However, he came to a stop: this was definitely a blurred case he was stepping in.

"I can see the scholar has read too much of his scrolls. Why not take the time to play with that shiny new sword?" Cia asked. She brought her staff to the ground, and sent a jolt of electricity forward. It stopped short of the Doctor, and the flash of lightning was more bright than harmful. However, as the Doctor turned away, he noticed his shadow lengthening, and a figure emerging from the black.

 _Darkness's Quack DARK DOCTOR_

The Dark Doctor was clad in a cloak, like the Doctor's own white cloak for when he was practicing. However, this Doctor was anything but white. He was coloured, from head to toe, in black, with no differing shades but for his glowing red eyes.

"Arrogance. Ego. Pride. Your confidence in your knowledge shall be your undoing, Doctor," Cia said, stepping back into the unknown. The Doctor weighed his options. For one thing, if this Dark Doctor was anything like himself, he already had a few ideas about its weaknesses. For another, it was clearly an otherworldly creation, and the Doctor doubted that it would be considered malpractice to kill it. The Doctor realised, with a start, that he hadn't considered every possibility.

The possibility that his ethics would prevent him from escaping from any battle Cia might engage him in had somehow eluded him. And this was the price.

The Doctor levelled his Luminal, and shot a spread of electricity towards the Dark Doctor. The Dark Doctor repeated the action, causing similar damage to the Doctor himself. Potentially more, since the Doctor's green tunic came with chain mail that the Dark Doctor's medical clothes did not. The Doctor lunged with his Luminal, a blow the Dark Doctor deflected. The Doctor's momentum carried forward, and he stumbled. The Dark Doctor raised his Master Sword, and brought it down.

The Dark Doctor was shoved away from a massive explosion of electricity. The Doctor looked up, and saw Lana standing there, her tome at the ready.

"I have more! More if you want it!" Lana shouted, before summoning a bolt of lightning down on the Dark Doctor, dispelling it. Lana turned to the Doctor, but dropped to her knees, grunting. The Doctor heard Cia's grunt in there, too, and turned, scrambling to his knees.

"There are… others…" Cia stated, disappearing. Lana seemed to get to her feet, her wound gone.

"Others?" she asked.

* * *

Darunia was chucking Powder Kegs up at the Gleeok head, but each toss failed to strike, instead causing explosions in the ruins. Despite how scattered Time's forces had become, he was still doing it. Time stopped him, but not because of the results. He was watching the Gleeok head, and noticed that it was changing. It dropped to the ground, and turned jet black. It grew tall- as tall as Darunia, and taller still. The figure the head had become looked much like an adult Hylian… except it seemed larger and fiercer than life.

 _Darkness's Deity DARK TIME_

Dark Time approached Time, brandishing a massive double-helix blade. Time jumped, realising what it was, and dragged Malon away. Dark Time's slash sent out a purple sword beam, carving a trench in the ground far too deep for a simple sword beam. Dark Time started a spin attack, which Malon hurriedly cast a fire spell to interrupt.

"Ti… no, Link! You've got to use your Fierce Deity Mask!" Malon screamed. Time reached around, and pulled out the Fierce Deity Mask from his bag. It had repelled all attempts to destroy it, so Time reasoned that it'd be safest in his own hands. But to use it, to call upon the power of the Fierce Deity…

Dark Time had slashed again, the sword beam knocking Malon to the ground. Time watched Saria rush to her side, before turning back to Dark Time, a fierce glint in his eye. He put on the Fierce Deity's mask, the blood running throughout his veins boiling and fizzling. The familiar sensation of becoming the Fierce Deity overtook him again, as he drew his sword, the sword that was turning into the double-helix blade. Time brought his sword up, and struck at Dark Time. Dark Time's sword came in the exact same fashion, clashing the blades. Time and Dark Time continued to strike and counterstrike in this fashion, equally matched. Malon let out a scream of fear, causing Time to falter. Dark Time took the chance to knock Time to the ground. Malon cried out again, as Dark Time approached Time…

"HEY!" Darunia yelled. Dark Time turned to Darunia, and approached him instead. Darunia was smirking, hands held behind him. Saria, Ruto and Sheik were watching Dark Time's approach in horror. Sheik turned to Time, who wasn't getting up anytime soon. Ruto watched as Dark Time began an overhead slash, as Darunia lifted the Powder Keg up from behind his back to block the blow, and hurriedly created a wall of water in front of everyone, blocking the massive explosion from causing more than scratch damage to everyone but Dark Time and Darunia. Both had vanished, leaving little remains.

"Oh dear…" Sheik remarked.

* * *

Twilight levelled her crossbow, and fired. The Gleeok head dropped to the ground just before the bolt landed, causing Twilight to let out a course of unladylike words- could the head just die already? As the general thought came to her mind, she blinked, realising that the Gleeok head was actually doing something different. It was growing into a rather curvy young woman, draped in what Twilight recognised as her own green hood. Well, it would have been green if it wasn't pitch black.

 _Darkness's Princess DARK TWILIGHT_

"You again?" Twilight asked. Dark Twilight levelled her crossbows, and fired two bolts- one at her, and one at Ilia. Twilight dodged hers, and Ilia summoned a statue to deflect hers. Ilia took the chance to inspect the bolt. It looked more like an arrow, and Ilia was prepared to bet that it was somehow more lethal than Twilight's bolts. She didn't know enough about bows to make a call herself.

Twilight and Dark Twilight had gotten into a crossbow duel. Twilight was trying to shoot Dark Twilight's bolts out of the air, but their larger size made the effort less than the ideal she was hoping for. Ilia at least commended her accuracy, though. Twilight let out a shuddering gasp, and dropped to the ground. Dark Twilight levelled both crossbows, and Ilia summoned another statue to deflect those bolts.

 _"_ _Down in front, Ilia!"_ Midna commanded. Ilia complied, deleting the statue before wrapping herself around Twilight. She had her eyes half closed, but the bright white orbs soaring overhead were still clearly visible. Ilia reopened her eyes, to see Midna astride her wolf, snarling. Ilia turned back, to see the fading form of a large cannon. Dark Twilight growled, and Midna summoned another pair of glowing orbs. She shone them, letting the brightness cross over Dark Twilight's skin, before sending them into her chest.

 _"_ _Go, Ilia! Get Princess checked!"_ Midna said. Ilia nodded. As much as she wanted to see Dark Twilight get comeuppance, Twilight needed checking.

* * *

Sky had taken his battle with his Gleeok head to the high skies. It was only natural, but he could tell that Hylia was getting shaken by his absence. The Gleeok head opened, and started changing shape. Sky soared backwards, allowing the Gleeok head room- lest the force of the change knock one of his wings out of place and send him to the ground. He watched as a winged figure hovered before him. Humanoid, with two massive wings sprouted from his back. Coloured from head to toe, wing-tip to wing-tip in black, except for a pair of glowing, red eyes.

 _Darkness's Angel DARK SKY_

Dark Sky drew a sword, and raised it skyward. Sky jumped, and copied the action. His Skyward Strike came out in time to block Dark Sky's, but it was a close thing. Sky shot his Beetle, and Dark Sky slashed it down. Sky chuckled, before drawing his bow. He let a few arrows fly, until Dark Sky shot a sword beam, knocking the bow from his hands. Sky tried the Gust Bellows, but they fell from his grasp before he could steady it. Sky drew his sword again, and flew in for a strike. Dark Sky parried and counterstruck, sending Sky flying back. It suddenly occurred to him that, aside from Demise (which was a very special case), he had little experience duelling another flying opponent. Most of the advantages he had trained with disappeared in this setting.

"Link!" Hylia's voice cried out. Sky looked down, and noticed Hylia aiming his bow. To his surprise, it was pointed rather firmly at Dark Sky.

"Hylia!" Sky called out.

"…Ominous black hole thingy, take this!" Hylia exclaimed, firing the bow. The arrow was sent singing skywards, stopping just short of doing more than scraping Dark Sky. The arrow began its descent, and Sky realised said descent would be right into Hylia. He dived down, reaching for the arrow, grabbing it- before realising grabbing a moving projectile wasn't the best idea. He held his tongue, trying to get to ground to get the wound bandaged, and missed Groose's words. He couldn't miss, however, the giant blast that signalled Groose had shot something, and the resulting thud-kaboom of that thing being Dark Sky.

"Ouch," Sky remarked.

* * *

Wind's efforts to stop his Gleeok head were limited to conducting wind around and about, adding Theresa's magic for damage. Tetra was tossing bombs, and Aryll Hyoi Pears for the seagulls. The Gleeok head consumed a bomb directly, and the assault stopped. Everyone stepped back, proud of their work. The Gleeok head had fallen, and its shape replaced by a short, black figure. It looked up, and red eyes were revealed.

 _Darkness's Fairy DARK WIND_

Dark Wind levelled an odd rod at the group. No one, not even Theresa, quite knew why, at least until Dark Wind opened a large portal behind him. It widened, revealing a large, black carriage. It came out with a loud whistle, and rammed solidly into Wind. The carriage disappeared into another portal, but something suggested to those who remained standing that the carriage would return. Aryll jumped to her feet, and listened for the shrieking whistle that would signal the carriage's return. It came from the left, and Aryll jumped aboard. The carriage disappeared into the darkness.

Aryll departed the carriage, and found herself standing on uncertain land. The floor was virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the surroundings, bar a few grey paths on the ground. Aryll noticed that the odd carriage only followed those paths. She also noticed Dark Wind, a black blot against a purplish-black backdrop, motioning with his rod, moving the carriage across the world above. Aryll drew the Gilded Sword, and slashed at him. The attack took Dark Wind by surprise, and he turned to the girl in shock. He parried a blow from the rear, and Aryll realised that Tetra was attacking from the world above. Aryll added her own strokes, careful to watch what Dark Wind was parrying and not strike there. Every stroke of hers he blocked, there was a sign that Tetra was dealing damage. Eventually, Dark Wind dissipated, and Aryll could pick up his rod. She summoned the carriage, and used it to escape the world of darkness.

Bet Dark Wind regretted that kind of attack.

* * *

The Doctor checked Lana's wounds. Lana felt fit to stand, but the Doctor felt otherwise. He gave them a wave over with his Luminal, and replaced her bandages. As wounds went, hers was looking decent, but still not exactly a wound she should be jumping around and electrifying enemies with.

"Doctor…" Lana said, looking behind the Doctor. The Doctor turned, and noticed a dark light flowing into the air above him. The darkness was in four pieces, but as the Doctor turned, he saw them converge, and change shape. They formed into the shape of a woman, and the woman landed in front of the Doctor. She was entirely black, with red eyes. Another Dark Link. The Doctor felt his Luminal vibrate, and Theresa appeared beside the group.

"Doctor, Darunia is dead, and Twilight, Sky and Wind all report injuries that require your attention. Nothing serious, but..." Theresa started, before her eyes landed on the Dark Link.

 _Darkness's Idol DARK FIRST_

"No…Cheyenne…" Theresa muttered, her hands jumping to her mouth.

"Cheyenne?" Lana asked.

"…Also known as the First… I knew her," Theresa said simply.

"…This isn't her," the Doctor assured Theresa. He drew his Master Sword, and approached the Dark First. The Dark First drew her own Master Sword, twirling it around like it was child's play. The Doctor tossed a slash, and then a second. The Dark First parried both easily, barely even touching her blade to perform the strokes. The Doctor stepped back, wondering how to proceed. The Dark First tilted her head to either side, and Lana and Theresa turned in those directions.

From the left came a rather feral-looking boy holding an odd stone slab in one arm. From the right came a rather sweet, Twilight-ish girl sitting astride a rather large wolf.

 _Darkness's Breath DARK WILD  
Darkness's Dame DARK LINKLE_

"Three of them…" the Doctor whispered.

"Someone's clearly been busy…" Theresa added. The Dark First shot forward with a leap, and Lana spread a barrier around the group, sending parts of the Dark First into Dark Wild and Dark Linkle. The pair of them gained odd auras, and leaped forward as Lana's barrier failed her. Theresa focused, and clasped her hands together.

* * *

The Doctor looked up at the two Dark Links, to see an encouraging sight. Malon, Ilia, Hylia and Tetra had leaped into action, holding back the two Dark Links. As he looked up, the four had knocked them away. Hylia turned to face left of the Doctor.

"True strength comes from knowing your weaknesses!" Hylia stated proudly.

"Said the blind girl to thin air," Ilia remarked, rolling her eyes. The Doctor smiled, regardless, and hefted up the Master Sword. He stared at it, before tossing it aside.

"I cross the void beyond the mind. The empty space that circles time. I see where others stumble blind. To seek a truth they'll never find. Eternal wisdom is my guide. I am the Doctor!" the Doctor exclaimed, drawing his Luminal, and creating a massive burst of light. The darkness that composed Dark Wild and Dark Linkle dissipated.

"What do you know? Eternal wisdom means knowing light dispels darkness…" the Doctor said, looking into the point of his Luminal. He turned, to see Twilight, Sky and Wind. He waved his Luminal over the three, getting his diagnoses.

 _"_ _Kekeke…"_ sounded behind him.

"…Oh dear," the Doctor remarked.

 _"_ _You may have memorised thousands of medical procedures… but here, on the battlefield, you're out of your element, Doctor,"_ Wizzro said.

"Correct," the Doctor stated simply, blasting Wizzro with the light blast. Wizzro reformed, grinning.

 _"_ _Put that light out,"_ Wizzro scolded.

"I can't! It's a Luminal! Luminal equals light!" the Doctor explained. Malon picked up the Master Sword, and ran towards Wizzro. Wizzro cackled, waving his arms around. Dark circles began appearing, jumping all across the valley. Malon cut Wizzro into pieces, before slamming the sword into Wizzro's ring. The thousands of souls that comprised Wizzro spiralled away into the sky, but the dark circles remained around the valley.

"Can those not be awful?" the Doctor asked, vaguely hopeful.

* * *

Zelda looked around at the dark circles that had made their appearance. Many were also in front of the various exits to the valley, as well as in places like the centre of the allied base. Zelda organised a retreat, as Moblins and Redeads emerged from the circles.

"Fall back!" Impa commanded. She looked up at the temple, to see the Doctor running towards them. "We leave here, and strike against Cia another time!"

"Leaving so soon?" a deep voice asked. Zelda's feet were locked in place, as heavy footfalls sounded from behind her.

"Ganon…" Impa uttered.

"The very same. That Cia wretch is doing nothing but disobey me, but she will be punished later. I must claim the Triforce," Ganon boomed, pointing at Zelda. Zelda grunted, and turned around.

"I'm not afraid of you, Ganon," Zelda told him, drawing her lyre.

"You are wise, Zelda. You should know to fear me is wise. So why don't you?" Ganon asked. Zelda started playing songs on her lyre. Light appeared around Ganon, as forest, flame and water came out and around him. Ganon growled, creating darkness bubbles to dispel the attacks.

"ZELDA!" the Doctor's voice cried out. The Doctor had arrived, followed by Lana.

"Doctor!" Impa exclaimed.

"Lana, kindly escort Impa to follow the others," the Doctor suggested.

"You're not going to fight, are you?" Lana asked.

"But the princess…" Impa protested.

"Will be fine in my hands," the Doctor assured her, shining a bright light on his Luminal. Lana grabbed Impa's hand, and pulled her away. The Doctor activated the Light Sabre on his Luminal, and approached Ganon.

"So… you are the one they call the Doctor. You run around claiming to be a Link, but face a man and you'll hesitate to strike. You will NEVER be my enemy, boy," Ganon taunted.

"Boy? I did not go through years of medical school to be called 'boy'. And while it is true that my Oath stops me from harming men, I don't see any men in front of me. Just a monster trying to kill a lady. I think it's well justified defeating you, hm?" the Doctor responded, approaching Ganon.

"You dare not raise the Master Sword?" Ganon asked.

"I am not a warrior. I am not a hero. I do what I do best: be a doctor," the Doctor said, before charging forward. His opening uppercut sent Ganon into the air, where the Doctor could slash him several times before slamming the Light Sabre, with Ganon, into the ground. Ganon summoned a massive darkness orb, but the Doctor leaped backwards, before letting a giant beam pierce the darkness, dispelling it and sending Ganon flying. Ganon charged forward, to be met by a triumphant spin attack.

"…You… will raise your sword to me…" Ganon panted. The Doctor could see the wounds he bore.

"I offer this chance once. Remove yourself from this conflict," the Doctor suggested. "As long as innocents fear your blade, you are a threat to my profession."

"…You would stand against me… so be it. But Hyrule's blood is on your hands," Ganon taunted, before sinking into the darkness beneath him.

* * *

The Doctor looked over Twilight. Sky and Wind were easy to heal, and most of the other wounded were in a similar boat. Incisions and the like were a specialty of the Luminal the Doctor possessed, a Luminal designed to belong on a battlefield.

What Twilight suffered from, however, was not something often found on a battlefield.

"A yeast infection," the Doctor diagnosed, looking to Twilight. As requested, the only other person in the tent was Ilia, and her face suggested she was regretting it.

"A what?" Twilight asked.

"Yeast. It's a type of fungus. And it seems… it was caused by this," the Doctor explained, cutting Twilight's sarashi free, and holding it up.

"The sarashi…" Twilight muttered.

"Yes, breast-binding does have unfortunate long-term effects. This being one of them. I, of course, would like to recommend you avoid it, however…" the Doctor trailed off.

"I need it to do my acrobatics effectively," Twilight stated.

"In which case, I would offer a different measure. This may be a difficult decision for you… but I would be willing to do a breast reduction surgery," the Doctor suggested.

"You would?" Twilight asked excitedly.

"You're excited? Well, I do have to warn you, it won't be me waving my wand and you walking out of here, flat as a board and raring to go. You will have a few concerns- such as needing almost a whole day's rest following, plus a few days where intensive physical activity- like fighting or acrobatics- will not be recommended. Then there's also the scarring, problems with using your breasts as intended..." the Doctor explained.

"…I want this. But… Ilia…" Twilight said, turning to Ilia. Ilia looked at Twilight's chest, before turning back to her eyes.

"If it will make you happy. I will be there to do anything you'd need those for, anyway," Ilia assured her. Twilight smiled, as did the Doctor. Asking permission from someone who didn't have any right to offer it showed true character.

"I will have to knock you out, first. Standard procedure in the future, of course, and normally done with something called 'anaesthesia', but my Luminal can do one better," the Doctor explained. Twilight nodded.

"One last time… are you sure?" the Doctor asked. Twilight locked her eyes with his.

"Yes."


	4. The Doctor Is In

_The brashness of approaching Cia with little preparation nearly costs the Links their lives, as Dark duplicates were summoned to fight them. Indeed, Darunia, loyal, big boss of the Gorons, was lost in the struggle. The Doctor sends Lana and Midna searching Hyrule for signs of Cia, using Midna's ability to teleport to his advantage, as he tends to the wounds of his soldiers._

* * *

"Is Twilight all right yet?" Wind asked the Doctor. The Doctor was pacing around a part of the campsite, uneasy with how long Lana had been away.

"If Ilia won't let you into her tent, she's still recovering from the surgery," the Doctor told him. Breast reduction, while it did have medical benefits, was not a surgery the Doctor had performed often, so Twilight was seemingly more fatigued than expected. Or Ilia was offering ministrations of another sort.

Either way, Cia's disappearance had given him bigger concerns.

"Though why do you want her?" the Doctor asked, genuinely wondering.

"I dunno. Thought all the Links could get together again and have one of those arguments," Wind remarked.

"I guess I could have a talk with you. What was that thing that hit you when you were fighting Dark Wind?" the Doctor suggested.

"You mean that carriage? I couldn't tell you much more… I think there was smoke pouring out of it, I guess. And the wheels felt… a bit weird, I guess…" Wind explained. The Doctor nodded.

"Must've been a train," the Doctor remarked, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

"A what?" Wind asked confusedly.

"A train. It's a kind of horseless carriage that runs on steam. It's much faster than horses, but it's confined to special tracks. Those wheels must've been designed to run on tracks," the Doctor explained.

"…Mind if I steal that idea?" Wind asked eagerly.

"Help yourself. If your Dark duplicate was slinging trains around, you would've discovered them in your lifetime anyway," the Doctor told him, wondering vaguely what he had unleashed onto the timeline regardless.

* * *

The Doctor left Wind to discuss trains with Tetra and Aryll, while he himself went to attend to Time's crew. They had been seated separately, mourning Darunia's departure for some time. The funeral had been attended to, and the Doctor himself had nothing really to add. Most grieving strategies he knew took time, and time was not something he could adjust to his will.

Ignoring the fact he was a time-traveller, of course.

"Found something you can't cure?" Lana asked cheekily, sneaking up on the Doctor. The Doctor gave the slightest of jumps, before turning to Lana.

"I could've saved him…" the Doctor said, his voice tinged with a hint of regret.

"He died by explosion. We couldn't find much of him. Unless your reaction times are as good as your medical techniques, there was little you could've done," Lana assured him.

"I know, but… it's kind of hard, seeing someone under my care fall. Especially since I've gotten good enough at the craft for that to be rare. And especially since it's my fault Dark Time even existed," the Doctor explained.

"…Well… I have some good news and bad news about Cia. It's one of those times that the good news comes first," Lana reported, uncertain about her foot in the subject.

"Then don't dilly-dally on about it!" the Doctor admonished.

"Right… good news is, we found Cia. Bad news is… she's not attacking from this time period," Lana reported firmly.

"Then which is she attacking from?" the Doctor asked, although he guessed at the answer.

"Ours," Lana confirmed.

* * *

It took the Doctor very little time to get everyone assembled and ready for time travel upon hearing those words. The note of panic in his voice transferred itself readily to those around him, inspiring them to get prepared. However, the Doctor's first words to them all surprised him.

"You're not coming with," he said firmly. His words were met with uproar.

"Let me explain myself. The best and the bravest will be needed. But this is TIME TRAVEL. A dangerous process, and energy-consuming too. And Lana and I have to be in tip-top shape to get there. The commanders, sure. But I can't simply let the rank and file come spewing out into the future," the Doctor explained.

"But Doctor…" Impa began to protest.

"Enough, Impa. I trust and follow the Doctor's reasoning," Zelda said sharply.

"My apologies, Princess," Impa said in deference, kneeling before stepping back.

"But Impa's point remains valid, Doctor. How are we to beat Cia with just this batch?" Lana asked. The Doctor looked across his crew. A number of Links, a Great Fairy, several people with great skill with their weapon, _a_ weapon, and several achievements to their names.

"I think this lot have seen worse odds," the Doctor said confidently.

* * *

Lana appeared in a rather clear area, which was rather nice. After the rather rough sights of nature in the past, Lana felt much more at home with the more synthetic landscape that had taken a hold of the future. The Doctor appeared beside her, sighing wistfully as he drew the circle to summon everyone else to their time.

"What are you thinking about?" Lana asked, making small talk more than anything.

"Oh… just about how nature has changed in the centuries since. Nothing to be too worried about in the middle of this crisis, and certainly not something a stick that glows when you push a button would solve anyway," the Doctor said, dismissing the subject thoroughly. He activated the time portal, drawing everyone from the past into the future. They looked around oddly, taking a moment to adjust themselves, before looking to the Doctor.

"Oh, thank goodness you're back!" a young-sounding girl sounded. The Doctor turned, and smiled.

"Oh, hello, Pi!" the Doctor called out, waving. The pleasure in his tone echoed to the people behind him.

"I should say the same to you, Chi! Where have you been?" the young lady asked harshly, though still a little joyous.

"Who is she?" Twilight asked, looking around to look at the lass. Everyone else was shuffling around to try and look at the girl.

"This is my little sister, Πψ%/3. What do you call her…" the Doctor said, before pausing.

"…If you must, why not Keiko? I heard it in one of the myths… please don't tell me you've already found a Keiko?" Πψ%/3 suggested.

"Nope. Lana and Cia were fine. I wasn't as lucky, though that was my fault. For some reason, I deliberately chose a familiar name. That was Link," the Doctor explained. The newly named Keiko looked at the four other Links.

"Well done, Chi. Well done," Keiko snarked.

"Yes, yes… have you seen Cia? Remember, 4Δ#ΡL?" the Doctor asked.

"…OH, RIGHT! 4Δ#ΡL has created this giant 'mansion' outside town, and there's some kind of dark energy going on around there. The Skaromia are holding them back, but-" Keiko started to explain.

"Skaromia? Oh no they don't! Come along, we've got to get to Cia before those tin cans exterminate her!" the Doctor commanded, bolting forward. Lana turned to the people of the past, who were understandably disconcerted.

"Don't worry. The Skaromia are fairly nice. I like them quite a bit, actually. The Doctor doesn't like them, though," Lana remarked.

* * *

 _*COME OUT 4Δ#ΡL! YOU ARE COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY ELITE SKAROMIA! YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS BEFORE YOU ARE EXTERMINATED!*_ the commander of the Skaromia commanded. He was much like the rest of his crew- just over two metres tall, mostly a heavily armoured tower, with only a single eye emerging from the head. However, everyone knew how effective they could be.

"Incorrect. I give you ten seconds to evacuate," the commander heard. He slowly pivoted on his wheels, and faced an angry-looking civilian. No… this was no civilian.

 _*YOU ARE THE χ8 &WӔ! YOU HAVE AN OATH OF NO HARM! PLEASE REMAIN BACK AND LEAVE THIS TO THE PROFESSIONALS!* _the commander told the Doctor.

"You are correct. My oath does not allow me to bring my patients to harm. And 4Δ#ΡL is still my patient!" the Doctor said firmly. It was amazing how dangerous he sounded without shouting.

 _*YOUR CLAIM TO BE ABLE TO FIGHT 4Δ#ΡL IS MEANINGLESS IN THE FACE OF YOUR FAILURE, χ8 &WӔ! PLEASE LEAVE COMBAT TO THE PROFESSIONALS!* _the commander pleaded.

"Why you-" the Doctor yelled, levelling his Luminal in the direction of the Skaromia.

"Doctor!" Lana cried out, startling both the Doctor and the Skaromia.

"Lana?" the Doctor asked, watching Keiko and those taken from the past following behind her. They looked between the Doctor and the Skaromia.

"Chi, I know you have issues with them. But they can help us! We're short on men, and we'll need to be in plenty of places at once to beat 4Δ#ΡL. I know it'll be hard, but please… put your hatred aside," Keiko begged. The Doctor shot a sharp glare at the Skaromia.

"…Fine. But the first hint of double-crossing, I've got just the magnet to wipe your data once and for all, you soul-crushing machines!" the Doctor said firmly. Everyone stepped back, the hatred the Doctor managed to exude in that one line stunning them- their impression of the man had been one of kindness and willingness to help the weaker individual. This was a different Doctor.

"…I'm detecting 4Δ#ΡL is creating some kind of disturbance across town… no, make that three disturbances," Keiko said, to redirect the tension elsewhere.

"That'll tie into her advantage. Time, Sky, Wind, pick a squad and take each one," the Doctor ordered. He looked up at the manor, to notice odd beasts pouring out. The gates opened, and a green light coated them. A Skaromia attempted to gain entry, but was dissolved in the light.

"Wait, Links…" the Doctor told them. He approached the light, and touched his finger to the barrier. It passed through.

"…She has a thing for Link… Changed my mind. Time, Sky, Wind, come with me. Twilight, too, I guess," the Doctor ordered. The Links nodded, and passed through the barrier to approach Cia's lair.

* * *

"So, why do you hate those things, anyway?" Twilight asked. Time, Sky and Wind were on their guard, while Twilight was still resting herself.

"…They're monsters, through and through. They may claim that they can be peaceable, but there's not a peaceful gear in their circuits," the Doctor explained. Twilight shivered at his words, before she heard Wind gasp. She and the Doctor looked up, and let out similar gasps.

Statues. Lines and lines of statues. Each and every one depicting the face of a Link. Even the female Links had their appearances in the statues- aside from Twilight, the Doctor recognised the woman sitting astride a wolf that attacked him in the Valley of Seers and the woman Theresa called 'the First', but was unable to recognise the woman wielding a rod with an odd tip, the girl with an odd duck in place of a hat, or one of the trio holding an assortment of outfits, among others.

"You are not nearly as unique as you thought, Twilight," the Doctor commented, looking between the Links. His eyes were particularly drawn to a statue sitting beside his- twinkling green eyes, black hair and a cheeky grin seemed to draw him in, a welcome sight of relief from the largely blond-haired, blue-eyed template most Links seemed to follow.

"Finished staring?" a deep voice asked. The Doctor drew his eyes away from the girl, to face the menacing face of Volga the Dragon Warrior. The other Links followed suit, each impacted by the thought of these statues existing.

"The one known as Cia has an unhealthy desire for those with your blood, humans. And whatever you are, red one," Volga said simply.

"Master of the obvious," Wind snarked.

"And must you point out my being-a-demon?" Sky added.

"Whatever. She is trying to lead you into a trap where she can disarm and claim you forever," Volga said.

"She'll not find me an easy target!" Twilight bragged, her slight heaving suggesting otherwise.

"But why are you warning us?" the Doctor asked.

"I despise dishonesty, trickery, and those who practice them. Cia's goals are also highly disagreeable, and I quite hate the feel of this domain. No offence, whichever one of you is from the future," Volga stated.

"None taken. We've changed a lot," the Doctor agreed.

"And for that reason- GWARGH!" Volga started, before something changed him. The Doctor's eyes cast around, and found Cia, standing back with her electrical whip in hand.

"That's enough out of him. Enjoy my collection, boys?" Cia asked, grinning.

"Cia, what do you want with us? And don't give me this 'crush' thing, I'm not buying it for a second," Twilight asked, stepping forward, hands on her crossbows. She was trying to hide the pain that still lied behind her breasts, but she wasn't fooling anyone.

"And why wouldn't you? While the rough and tumble boy is certainly appealing, there has to be something stated about such a lovely looking lady," Cia stated, reaching out for Twilight's cheek. Twilight slapped her hand away, glaring.

"Your attraction to us has gone too far for too long. In the name of everyone immortalised behind me…" Twilight started, drawing her crossbows. She levelled them threateningly at Cia.

"I WILL PUN-" Twilight began, before Cia's whip was brought down on Twilight's head. Twilight was out like a light, and the Doctor had shot, almost immediately, to Twilight. He drew his Luminal, and started tracing Twilight's head almost immediately. Cia tutted, and opened a dark hole, sending both into some void.

"You bring them back," Sky ordered, drawing his sword.

"I have a better idea: you three fight a dragon," Cia said, disappearing as well. Time, Sky and Wind stepped back, as Volga rose to his feet. He was glowing an ominous red hue, and his pike turned to a terrifying trident.

 _Dragon Warrior VOLGA_

"Oh dear…" Wind said.

* * *

Lana and Keiko were directing the forces to each part of the town of Fregall. The task was made all the more difficult by Malon, Ilia, Hylia and Theresa's refusal to stray from Cia's mansion, as if proximity would assure their Link's safety. Lana looked up, and noticed more odd portals appearing, each one creating powerful monsters such as the Lynel and the Zazak. Lana sunk to her knees, groaning.

"What's wrong?" Keiko asked, concerned.

"Don't know… but Cia…" Lana squeaked out.

"Your other half, right? But that'd mean…" Keiko started. She turned to face the wall behind her.

"Can I borrow a Skannon?" Keiko asked one of the Skaromia who stood by her, directing the allied forces.

 _*HELP YOURSELF!*_ the Skaromia replied, offering a staff-like object. This was a Skannon, the Skaromia's primary form of attack. Keiko aimed it at the wall, and fired. The blast cleared away a small portion, which the green field was not protecting. Keiko grabbed her bell and ran in, going to find Cia and stop her before Lana fell her with her.

* * *

The Doctor picked himself up, and looked around. They appeared to be in some kind of dungeon, though whether that was a traditional dungeon or a jail dungeon was up to interpretation. He turned to quickly help Twilight up, before turning back to the dungeon.

"Now what?" Twilight asked.

"I've got an idea…" the Doctor told her. He lit up his Luminal, and whatever plan he appeared to have disappeared in light of the darkness that was illuminated.

"Doctor…" Twilight said. The Doctor looked around the darkness, and noticed some light paths. The Doctor leaned around, and scooped Twilight up in a bridal hold. Before Twilight could utter a single word of surprise, the Doctor had leaped into the darkness, following the light path through.

"Doctor, put me down!" Twilight commanded. No sooner than she had done so had the Doctor's speed been cut down considerably by chunks of darkness and manor flying about. The Doctor did drop Twilight, and she landed on a light platform. The Doctor landed on another one, and a large beast jumped up, and landed on a chunk of darkness. A Gooma.

"Hold on, I got this…" Twilight said, getting to her feet, and aiming her crossbows. The light she was standing on gave way, and she fell up into another platform. She squealed as she landed face-down, before resuming her feet. She looked up, only to notice the Doctor jumping from light to light, sending odd creations at the Gooma, before jumping out of the path of the Gooma's ball and chain. Twilight looked up, and noticed something above.

"Doctor!" Twilight exclaimed. The Doctor looked up, and allowed the ball and chain to bite into his back. He winced, waved his Luminal to heal the wound a little bit, and destroyed the Gooma. He grabbed Twilight, and jumped toward the light.

* * *

Time parried another of Volga's strokes, only for its follow-up to strike him in the side. The Volga that had challenged them was much more powerful than the Doctor had described him prior, and both Wind and Sky were out of the match. Time had taken on his Fierce Deity incarnation, and he was still outmatched.

"Wait…" a female voice called. Time and Volga turned, to notice Keiko. Time realised the significance in a hurry, and slammed his sword into Volga. Volga parried the blade easily, and Time began with a new vigour that was sure not to last long, but would distract Volga long enough for Keiko to do something. Keiko rung her bell a bit, creating a water glyph around Volga's feet. Keiko began to sing a short melody, before sending a cascade of water around Volga. The water drove the darkness from Volga's body.

"Argh… ARGH! GWARGH!" Volga cried out. His roar shook the ground slightly, but he managed to fight off that which sought to undo him.

"Young one… thank you…" Volga breathed.

"I'm the Doctor's little sister. You're welcome," Keiko said, grinning. She looked over at a hole in the ground, noticing the Doctor ascend with Twilight.

"No… this can't be happening…" Cia's voice cried out. Cia appeared in front of everyone.

"Volga… destroy them!" Cia commanded, shooting a bolt of darkness at him. Volga batted it away.

"I do not win fights dishonestly, sorceress," Volga told her.

"You will win when I tell you to win!" Cia growled.

"Our allegiance is over. I will be returning to the past at the first opportunity, and then I shall return to my cave, never to re-emerge. You, on the other hand, still have three standing Links and this charming young lass to deal with. Do something REALLY stupid, and you'll have a dragon who's never lost a battle," Volga stated.

"…You…" Cia growled, turning to Keiko.

 _Dark Sorceress CIA_

Cia slammed her staff into the ground. Keiko looked around, and noticed a statue rise from its pedestal. The figure, a female with blonde hair and blue eyes that somehow did not look like a Link, drew her sword, and turned to face Cia.

"Picora… the Defender… you're facing the wrong way!" Cia said. Picora shook her head, an odd sound coming from her neck. Picora approached Cia, and slammed down with a cane. A chunk of earth shot up from underneath Cia, sending her falling to her back. Cia looked up at Picora, and shot a bolt of darkness at Picora. Picora smashed the orb to bits with some odd gloves, and charged in with her sword. Cia swung up with her staff, sending Picora backwards. Picora got to her feet, and her hat jumped to life. Music notes surrounded her, and Picora suddenly vanished.

"…Don't know who to blame for that…" Cia remarked. Twilight stepped forward, and drew her blade.

"Twilight…" the Doctor said, concerned.

"…Time's Fierce Deity is on its last legs, Sky and Wind are gone… I can't ask you to fight Cia…" Twilight said with confidence, hefting up her blade. Cia stepped forward, and swung her staff. Twilight parried, and thrust forward. Cia took the swipe to her left side, before wrapping the chain at the end of her staff around Twilight's chest, at least one loop around her scars.

"Well… it seems I have achieved my victory now…" Cia stated. With her free hand, she took Twilight's chin, and lifted her face up.

"Had to have your dragon go crazy and half wipe us out before you even thought about winning, though," Twilight spat.

"It's so nice how the Doctor left scars for me to strike," Cia remarked. Her sceptre shone, and Twilight grunted in pain.

"ENOUGH!" the Doctor yelled. Cia turned to the Doctor, who had drawn the Master Sword.

"Well… so much for your Oath," Cia remarked.

"I will not stand idly by and allow you to bring harm to my patient, 4Δ#ΡL. At if that means bringing harm to another… I believe one Morton had just the name for it. And if I'm damned either way, might as well do what's right," the Doctor bellowed. He charged forward, and slashed with the Master Sword. Cia's sceptre was shattered, and the chain binding Twilight dissolved. Cia growled, and created another sceptre. She brought the sceptre up to block the Doctor's overhead strike, and then down for his underhand blow. Cia stepped back, before realising there was a blow coming her way that she hadn't anticipated. She dropped to the ground, the Doctor having struck something that would assure a clean death.

"Cia!" Lana's voice called out. The Doctor turned, and saw Lana rushing up. It took him a moment to connect the dots and realise Lana got in the same way Keiko did.

"Lana…" Cia said, stirring. The two women flickered oddly, trying to reach each other. The Doctor stepped back, unsure of what would happen. Dark magic ripped them apart… darkness might be involved in this.

"Lana… we know how this ends. We don't win. How do you fight on… knowing you'll lose…" Cia asked.

"…You clearly haven't been paying attention. The Doctor is good at healing. Even if he has to ignore problems like time paradoxes," Lana laughed. The Doctor smirked at that sally.

"Ah, Lana… you are indeed…" Cia started, before fading. Lana took a breath, and absorbed Cia into herself. Lana turned to everyone else, and nodded. The war with Cia was over.

* * *

The Doctor, Lana and Keiko escorted everyone back to the time, and Lana opened her tome. Four gates, echoing Cia's earlier Gates of Souls more invitingly, opened in a fan shape in front of her.

"Time, Twilight, Sky, and Wind, in that order," Lana said, smiling.

 _"_ _Thanks. See you next crisis!"_ Midna said, entering the Twilight portal. Allies like Batreaux and Saria followed suit, having little to say to the Doctor themselves. It was the Links that had words with him and his friends.

"Doctor…" Twilight muttered. Ilia turned to her, recognising that face. Twilight approached the Doctor, her eyes clearly thinking about her next thought in depth.

"Doctor… I…" Twilight stuttered out, looking between the Doctor and Lana. She cast a glance back at Ilia, before giving the Doctor a brief, yet tight hug. The pair only caught a brief glimpse of Twilight's blushing face as she returned to her time. The Doctor let out a small chuckle.

"I can't speak for everyone she knows, but she could certainly do a lot worse than you," Malon remarked. Keiko chuckled. Lana remembered Malon was Twilight's mother, and laughed a little harder. The Doctor realised how laughable the idea was at all, and laughed hardest.

"Quite the comedy act," Time signed through Malon. The Doctor rolled his eyes, and held his hand out to Time. Time took it.

"You are a legend. It was nice to have met you. And sorry about Darunia," the Doctor told him.

"Well, according to Twilight, Darunia's gone in her time. Granted, her story about the Zoras doesn't seem to add up, but at least I know what to do about it," Sheik remarked.

"Lana, please note I'm not the only one who used the future to assist the past," the Doctor said firmly. Sheik laughed, and they returned through their gate.

"Time has a funny way of playing tricks on all of us. I've learned not to question it," Sky remarked.

"We tried. Wasn't worth it," Hylia added.

"Sounds like us. We're still trying to figure it out," Lana observed.

"Did you not have a big breakthrough or something?" Keiko asked.

"I TOLD them not to publish that until we agreed on it! We're still not even sure if Picora was a Link or not, for crying out loud!" Lana said.

"It inspired debate and a wider audience's opinion, and for that, it was enough. I agree with Hylia. That's enough arguing about the timestream," the Doctor stated.

"Agreed… it was nice to have met you, Doctor," Sky said. The Doctor nodded, and the pair turned to their portal. Wind stepped up.

"…It was nice, I suppose. I like this time period's Hyrule and Zelda better than the one under the ocean, for sure," Wind said.

"Why, what's wrong with the old one?" the Doctor asked. Wind and Tetra looked between each other, before turning back to the Doctor.

"She orchestrated what could be described as an evil plan using us as pawns," they explained in unison.

"…OK… and that wasn't one of the Zeldas we had here, right?" the Doctor asked.

"I think it was the same one from Time… I met Malon, too…" Wind thought aloud.

"Did you find them to be good people this time?" Lana asked.

"Oh, us Links hated each other in a friendly way, and that was about it. Having the same experiences to draw on helped out a lot, so I'm now only half bitter about it," Wind explained.

"I still hate her, but it's more on a personal basis," Tetra added.

"Well… guess you got closure…" Lana remarked. Wind and Tetra returned through their portal, and Lana could close them. Lana held out her hand, and made the Triforce of Power appear. The Doctor and Zelda nodded, and added Wisdom and Courage. The three pieces joined together, and let out a brilliant light. Odd sounds echoed across the land.

The world was righting itself.

* * *

"Will we see you again?" Zelda asked. The Doctor turned to Lana.

"You're the Diviner. You answer," the Doctor told Lana.

"Not anymore. Zelda… I don't know the answer to that question. I don't know if we will ever see each other again. But I assure you… I will treasure our friendship. We will remember you… all of you," Lana said. Zelda nodded. That was enough for her.

"Well… I have diseases to cure," the Doctor stated. Lana summoned the fifth portal, the one that would return _them_ to their time. Keiko and Lana jumped in, but the Doctor reconsidered for one moment. He turned, and handed the Master Sword to Zelda. He jumped into the portal, disappearing to his time.


	5. A Show of Power

Ganondorf stood within the Gerudo Desert, arms folded. The Twinrova witches were circling in front of him, divining the events taking place elsewhere. The witches eventually stopped, before turning to face Ganondorf.

"The bearers of Power and Courage have left this time period, Great King Ganondorf!" Koume reported.

"So have the other Links, Great King Ganondorf!" Kotake added.

"Hm… mildly irritating, but I can work with this," Ganondorf growled. He clasped his hands together, summoning darkness into his hands. He shot the orb into the air, and it exploded into three spheres. The spheres dropped slowly to the ground, and formed into three minions- Zant, Ghirahim and the Helmaroc King.

"Follow my every command, or else perish again," Ganondorf commanded coolly. Zant and Ghirahim bowed in compliance. The Helmaroc King didn't, though Ganondorf accepted this. Now was not the time for his minions, or worse, himself, to be pecked by a giant beak.

"King Ganondorf, what shall we do?" Koume asked.

"I'm in the mood for a show of power… how about I create a few more allies for us to fight?" Ganondorf responded.

"What a great idea, King Ganondorf!" Kotake responded, thinking very poorly of the plan as presented.

"Absolutely marvellous!" Ghirahim added, thinking much more highly of it.

"I'm glad you agree. In which case…" Ganondorf said, as if he knew perfectly well what Twinrova thought. He stepped forward, pointing ahead. Four spheres appeared, and formed into odd shapes. The head shape approached Ganondorf. He was clad in a purple robe not unlike Link's, with chalk-white skin and hair underneath. His one visible eye was a deep red.

"Ganondorf… you would fight us for your own amusement?" the sage asked.

"Amused yet?" Ganondorf responded.

"…I'll admit that I am very amused. Very well. The battle shall end when either myself or yourself is defeated. I'm not going to make it easy for you, so I'd hope you're not going to make it easy for me," the sage stated. He disappeared into the wind, and the other three followed suit. Before Ganondorf could turn to his minions to organise a plan, a giant beast swooped down behind him.

 _Mount of the Creeper: EVIL EAGLE!_

The Helmaroc King shot into the air, intercepting the Evil Eagle's strike. Ganondorf chuckled at the gesture, and invited the two birds to continue their duel. Twinrova, Zant and Ghirahim disappeared, suspecting some locations for the other three soldiers. Ganondorf holed himself up in the Gerudo Fortress, practicing his movement for when he and the sage would be duelling.

* * *

Twinrova travelled to her base of operations during the war against Time- the Spirit Temple. Even if there weren't other evils being drawn to it, she needed the magic her temple could provide to serve Ganondorf to the best of her ability. She cut through her personal shortcut to her chambers, only to find a wizard standing there. He was clad in a red robe, covering most of his blue-coloured body.

"You… I remember you…" Koume commented.

 _Dark Wizard AGAHNIM_

"I rather thought you might, Mistress Twinrova," Agahnim boomed.

"Mistress? I'll assume that your obedience will not prevent you from attacking us?" Kotake asked.

"You'd assume correctly," Agahnim stated, launching a yellow orb. Koume knocked it back at Agahnim, who sent it to Kotake. Kotake performed a spin to deflect it, and launched her ice blast at Agahnim. Agahnim managed to deflect the orb, but the cold blast froze him solid. Koume shot her fire towards Agahnim, striking the projectile and boiling Agahnim at the same time. Agahnim roared, and brandished his trident imposingly. Koume and Kotake started circling Agahnim, which had the dual purpose of confusing him and charging their attack- another combined blast.

"I yield!" Agahnim exclaimed, dropping to his knees.

"Very good," Koume said.

"Very good indeed," Kotake added.

* * *

Zant teleported to the head of the Arbiter's Grounds, looking around the place for where the villain might be located. Zant looked around, reasoning that the villain would more likely be holed below, where he set a giant skeleton on that meddlesome girl, when the ground beneath him shook. He looked up, and saw a giant in a suit of armour approach him.

"Who are you?" Zant asked.

 _General of Darkness ONOX_

"Does that answer your question, 'Twilit Usurper'?" Onox asked. He swung his ball and chain at Zant, which Zant blocked with a well-placed Zant's Hand.

"No, not really. Enlighten me, General!" Zant commanded. He spun on the spot, and fired a barrage of dark orbs. Onox made no effort to block the projectiles, diving into the ground. The logical part of Zant was on guard for Onox's next move. The less logical part was wondering why he didn't just wipe out that upstart like that.

The ground trembled, and Onox shot from the ground, imposing before Zant. Zant remained cool and collected. Now was not the time to go crazy. He stood his ground, and watched Onox's movements. Onox was slamming the ground with his palms, as well as spreading fireballs across the grounds. Zant summoned a pillar from underfoot, reaching up to the top of a black stone. He jumped atop it, and Onox appeared in front of him. Onox opened his mouth, and Zant brought his sword down on Onox's head. Onox growled, as the scimitar of Twilight fought against Onox's strength. Zant focused more and more of his power, and Onox yielded.

* * *

Ghirahim prowled on board the Sandship. He considered, briefly, igniting the Timeshift Stone to lighten up the colour, before dismissing that idea out of hand. He didn't like the way the past looked, and the electricity that pervaded the period didn't mix well with his metallic sheen. Still, setting sail might be a good idea, if his opponent didn't show up soon…

As soon as the thought entered his head, he saw a feminine shape approach. She much resembled Hylia's human form.

"It was foolish of you to come here, Hylia…" Ghirahim stated, snapping his fingers. A dagger shot into Hylia's heart, and the body fell to the ground. A figure emerged from it, standing before him. She much resembled a female version of Ghirahim himself, favouring a blue and black colour scheme, as well as purple armour and the hem of a white dress. Ghirahim looked at his figure, impressed at the way she mimicked Hylia's form perfectly. Well, but for one error.

"You do realise that Hylia's blind, right?" Ghirahim suggested.

"As soon as I perfect the 'not looking evil' bug…"

 _Sorceress of Shadows VERAN_

Veran transformed from her old shape to a green mantis-like shape, flying above the sandship. Blue lightning struck the ship, sending Ghirahim to think twice about his movements. He summoned daggers, shooting them up at Veran. A hole pierced one of Veran's wings, and the lightning slowed as Veran corrected her flight path in response. Ghirahim drew a bigger sword, and jumped in the air to strike down the sorceress. Veran spun around, changing shape from a green mantis to a purple beetle. Still upside down, she withdrew into her shell and went bouncing around the ship. Ghirahim whacked the shell, only succeeding in continuing Veran's momentum. Veran got one good strike on Ghirahim, knocking him to the ground.

"Well…" Ghirahim said indignantly, before turning into his blackened, hardened form. He sent Veran spinning again out of spite, deliberately stepping into Veran's path to prove his point. Veran bounced off Ghirahim, her near-miss into the sands below causing her to change to her bee form. She buzzed annoyingly out of reach of Ghirahim and his daggers, sending bees down towards Ghirahim. They seemed at a stalemate, as Ghirahim was easily dispatching the bees. Ghirahim thought back to his duels with the demon. After bitterly wishing he could fly, he remembered one of his moves. He shot a red thread of fate into Veran, and took hold of it. He swung it to one side, into the sand. Veran's rear was sticking out, her legs slowly going limp.

"One of these days, I'll remember that move when I'm invested in the outcome of the battle," Ghirahim remarked, shedding his armour.

* * *

Ganondorf heard a whooshing sound. He set his trident into the ground, and turned from his target practice to face the source. The sorcerer appeared before him.

"We meet again. I take it my soldiers have been beating your soldiers?" Ganondorf asked.

"I wouldn't say 'beating' to their faces. As all of us know, this is not the time for slaughter. But yes, now is the time for our duel, Ganondorf," the sorcerer replied.

 _Sorcerer of Winds VAATI_

Vaati transformed into a large orb of darkness, and became airborne. Ganondorf followed suit, and Vaati growled. He had clearly not intended for an air-on-air duel, but was willing to accommodate. Vaati created large whirlwinds, sending them toward Ganondorf. He batted two away with his swords, before dodging the third and taking aim. He created a ball of darkness, and sent it at Vaati's underside, exploding it. Vaati blinked, and created a pair of arms. The arms began to revolve around him, as Vaati made an approach. Ganondorf dodged backwards, and sent a shocking blast towards Vaati. Vaati took the electricity, reformed it into several ball shapes, and flung them at Ganondorf. Ganondorf took them, and growled. Ganondorf shot to the ground, and Vaati followed. Ganondorf summoned an aura of darkness, and swiped at Vaati. Vaati went soaring directly into a target at one end, breaking it at the post.

"100 points. 19 more Vaatis to go," Ganondorf snarked.

"As fun as it is to be swung at a chunk of wood, I think we've got a much better target to lob things at…" Vaati responded.

"Agreed. It is time. Marshall your forces," Ganondorf commanded.

* * *

Zelda stood on her balcony, playing her harp as she looked across the view. After the events of the war against Cia, it was nice to look down and see peace. Aside from Impa working with the trainees on the use of spears and spear-like weapons (using her naginata), the sounds of war were entirely absent.

Except…

Zelda stopped strumming her harp, and looked across the view. Shortly afterwards, she heard the clashes of the training yard stop, as Impa followed her example. She saw a field of darkness gathering on the horizon. She picked up her telescope, and focused on the shape. She started picking out figures- many monsters, some more intricate than others. However, three figures in the centre, where the most intricate monsters of all stood, caught her eye.

She saw the twin sorceress sisters Koume and Kotake, also known as Twinrova. And right beside them was Ganondorf!

Zelda looked down at Impa, and pointed at the approaching army. Impa climbed to the battlements, noticed it, and nodded acknowledgement. Impa bolted down the battlements, and started marshalling forces. At this phase of the denouement, when the standing forces were permitted to visit their families after their time away, Impa wouldn't find a lot of forces to marshall.

Zelda knew that, one way or another, this battle would come down to the Triforce of Wisdom.

* * *

Ganondorf stood before Hyrule Castle, chuckling at the panic his presence was causing. He sent a limited number of his forces ahead in the first round, both as a scouting measure and as a means of raising hope in his enemy to crush.

"Ganondorf, I am detecting the presence of a strong spirit being replicated around the field," Koume stated.

"Hm… then it was wise to approach as we have. How many?" Ganondorf asked.

"Six, Ganondorf," Kotake stated.

"Typical. She's too dumb to count properly. Well, that's you, Zant, Ghirahim, Onox, Veran and Agahnim against the six of her. Vaati and I will go after Zelda directly," Ganondorf said.

"Are you sure it'll be enough?" Koume asked.

"It's me and Vaati. Besides, we'll have the Helmaroc King to aid us. To be honest, I think even Vaati is a bit overkill, but…" Ganondorf explained, trailing off.

"Of course, Master Ganondorf," Kotake politely responded. Ganondorf nodded, and began his ominous march. Koume and Kotake shook their heads at each other, before flying off to strike against the upstart handmaiden.

* * *

Zelda felt the tremor of something striking her tower. She looked out the window, and noticed a massive bird pecking at the side. Realising that Impa was outnumbered even with her divisive plan, Zelda started coming up with counterstrategies for this new development, assessing each new risk and then discarding it. She was so engrossed in her strategies, that she didn't notice she had already made her escape from the tower, which had crumbled into the wall. It didn't faze her that she mightn't need to worry about the repairs.

She flagged down the trainee she had noticed earlier- the one who looked skilled with a sword. She held the Master Sword out to him, and offered the suggestion for him to wield it. The young swordsman, Link- likely the Hero the land would've received if the Doctor hadn't intercepted him- accepted the Master Sword, recognising the responsibility entrusted to him. He followed Zelda to go find Ganondorf.

* * *

Impa chuckled, watching as Ganondorf's minions furiously attacked her copies. Each one she made took a substantial amount of magic in order to become tangible enough to be a real threat, but to march on the Great Fairy's den virtually unopposed using the tactic was remarkable.

"Going somewhere?" a sinister voice asked. Impa groaned, and turned. The figure in the suit of armour was lazily standing there.

"How did you…" Impa started.

"Just because I look like a giant Darknut and I underestimated that Link brat doesn't mean I'm to be fooled easily. I am Onox, and I was created by Twinrova to take down a more cunning foe than yourself," Onox stated.

 _General of Hyrule IMPA_

Onox snapped his fingers, and summoned a massive axe. He stepped towards Impa with a heavy thud. Impa jumped backwards, only now realising how exhausted she was. She had intended the visit to the Fairy's Fountain to restore her energy. Onox sent forward an onslaught, parts of his armour flying away to allow the axe to fly about faster. Impa continued to dodge, but any attempt to dodge toward the Fairy Fountain was far from her mind- Onox was calling the direction, not Impa. Onox looked around, and waved his axe in a signalling fashion. Impa didn't dare turn to face the signaller, which was her mistake. A bullet of web shot from behind her, and a last-second dodge to the side sent her careening towards one of Hyrule Field's lakes.

"Nice shot, Veran," Onox complimented.

"Your work wasn't so bad either, Onox. I did not suspect an Impa Twinrova missed," Veran responded. Onox looked up at Hyrule Castle.

"Best to approach, regardless of Master Ganondorf's success…" Onox suggested.

* * *

 _Courageous Soldier LINK_

Ganondorf was chuckling. Zelda was standing back, and letting Link take the first chance against Ganondorf. Link certainly wasn't backing down, but it was clear as day that he'd rather be anywhere else. The poor sap hadn't any experience, and that was to be his undoing. Ganondorf stepped forward, and slashed with a single Great Sword. Link was knocked aside, a gaping hole in his side, and the Master Sword several feet away. Link scrambled away, leaving Ganondorf guffawing.

"If things remain this easy, you needn't have summoned me!" Vaati remarked.

"I still do not fear you, Ganondorf, nor the armies you steal from the timeline!" Zelda stated.

"And, as always, you are still the fool," Ganondorf remarked. Zelda shot Ganondorf the best death glare she could manage, before closing her eyes and holding out her hand. The Triforce of Wisdom appeared before her, and Zelda passed it to Vaati.

"WHAT?" Ganondorf asked, looking at Zelda. Zelda smirked, a knowing smirk. She could not have made it any clearer that she had a plan in sacrificing her piece here. Ganondorf, however, was entranced by Nayru's memento, and did not notice her as she slinked away, taking Link and the Master Sword with her.

* * *

"We have the Triforce of Wisdom, but Power and Courage elude us…" Zant stated. The villains had gathered, and come to the collective conclusion that Power and Courage were just plain missing.

"Courage has to be in that Doctor… and Power… last I know, Cia had it. That probably means that goody two-shoes I took out of Cia got her hands on it," Ganondorf reasoned.

"Those two will not be too far apart. The girl loves the Doctor," Zant commented.

"On the other hand, the girl will make a good bargaining chip," Ghirahim pointed out. Of course, that meant little without actually reaching them, but ideas were ideas.

"We have no idea of their strengths or relationship, though," Veran commented.

"Plus no way of getting to their time period!" Onox pointed out the obvious at last.

"I'm a time traveller," Veran retorted, eyes narrowing.

"But the fact remains that we're going to go into an unfamiliar future, going down against the two best pieces of the Triforce with nothing but Wisdom to our name?" Agahnim asked.

"Lana won't know how to use Power. I doubt the Doctor will use Courage much, either. But yes, I think this battle is going to be more difficult. Or at least requires actual effort at all," Ganondorf remarked. Veran nodded, and waved her hands.


	6. The Disease With No Cure

Ganondorf and his minions appeared within an odd field. Zant tested one of the trees, and found it far too springy and rubbery to be real.

"This is weird…" Zant remarked, contemplating poking at the tree again.

"Very fitting for the Doctor, though… how do we find him?" Ghirahim added. Ganondorf looked around, and spotted a wandering man.

"Hey, you! You will assist us!" Ganondorf commanded. The man looked up, and noticed the several large and ominous-looking figures before him.

"Can't even say please, can you?" the man asked. Ganondorf curled his lip in disgust.

"…Please, can you tell us where we might find the Doctor?" Ganondorf asked, his hand on his sword.

"There, see, was that so hard? Hm… the Doctor… you know, it's very insulting to refer to him as 'the' Doctor. There are other doctors," the man told them condescendingly.

"Don't tell me about such things. 'The Doctor' is the only term I know this man by. Unless his name is Link?" Ganondorf stated, his face lined with impatience.

"Link? What an odd name… but if you had heard of him simply as 'the Doctor', then you're likely looking for χ8&WӔ. He's a doctor of some skill and a fairly kind personality who operates down that road. You're only about a ten-minute walk away. Be warned: he's not exactly going to live up to the hype," the man helpfully stated.

"Thank you. You will live. The Doctor will not," Ganondorf told him. He began his march, followed by the rest of his small force. The man watched them walk for quite some time.

"Didn't even say thank you. Ruddy kids," the man muttered, walking off, unaware of who exactly he had just talked down.

* * *

Ganondorf entered the Doctor's office, followed by the group. The Helmaroc King remained outside the town- it would not do to cause a ruckus until they had ascertained the location of the Doctor and Lana, as well as any relevant escape routes. He walked up to the office's counter, and looked at the desk uncertainly. Agahnim reached over, and pushed a button. A bell sound chimed, and a rather matronly woman approached the desk.

"Welcome to χ8&WӔ's office. The Doctor is currently engaged in treating a particularly stubborn bit of cancer, so he cannot see you now. He will be able to see you shortly, so if you would kindly wait in the waiting room provided, and supply your purpose of visit…" the woman said in a business-like manner. Ganondorf looked back at his minions, stumped. Vaati approached the front, and jumped on top of the desk.

"We're here to get something from the Doctor. And a friend of his, while we're here!" Vaati boasted.

"I see. Well, the Doctor is unable to come to you at the moment, so if you'll please wait in the waiting room, I'm sure you will be able to collect your lost item in no more than an hour. Stubborn or not, it's just cancer, and he's already been at it for half an hour…" the woman remarked, taking a note. "And what's your name?"

"Ganondorf," Ganondorf stated coolly. The woman added to her note, nodding to herself, before returning to the back room. Ganondorf and Vaati looked between each other, shrugged, and went to sit in the waiting room provided.

* * *

Ganondorf would willingly accept any challenge the Doctor could throw at him. At least, he thought he could. He had not reckoned on being kept cooling his heels in a rather sterile looking environment. There were other sections, some brighter and more colourful than others, but Ganondorf found this one preferable. Zant, Twinrova, Agahnim and Veran were seated on chairs close by, coming up with strategies for battle based on surroundings. Onox was trying to find a way to sit comfortably- unable to sit on one of the chairs without breaking it, as five had learned the hard way. Vaati, too short for the chairs, was in the children's area, lecturing the kids about joining the dark side. And Ghirahim had taken himself to looking in one of the book-like stacks of paper provided. Ganondorf found this almost as annoying as the waiting.

"Ganondorf, the Doctor will see you now," the woman stated, looking into the room. Everyone stood to follow Ganondorf.

"No, no! No need to crowd the poor fellow! He did just have a tougher than usual surgery, and you're only here to collect something…" the woman commented. Ganondorf growled, but so long as it would put an end to the waiting, he would be fine to accept the Doctor's terms. He might even be able to turn the situation to his advantage.

Ganondorf followed the woman into another room, this one a small study. The Doctor was furiously pushing away on buttons at his desk, watching a bright surface change colours. He looked much different to the day that he defeated Ganondorf. The Doctor looked up, nodded, and gestured for Ganondorf to take a seat.

"So, Mr… Ganondorf. What are you here for? My wife here tells me you brought seven friends just to collect something. Surely this must be more important than just a lost and found," the Doctor stated, showing no signs of recognition.

"Of course it is, Doctor. Don't play dumb with me a second longer. I'm here for the Triforce of Courage. And the Triforce of Power your friend possesses, too, while I'm here," Ganondorf directed. He had found the limit to the quirkiness he could accept from the Doctor.

"Triforce? Hm… sounds kind of familiar… Rhoelle?" the Doctor asked. Ganondorf turned to the woman. He slowly realised, by connecting the dots, that her new hair colour and lined face were the only differences between this Lana and the Lana who emerged when he had corrupted Cia…

"That's the thingy that Ganon wanted every time he attacked Hyrule in the legends. So many times I would read about how the Triforce impacted each and every one of those Links… now I think of it, I think we did take two of them when we fought Cia ten years ago…" Lana suggested thoughtfully.

"We have been truly awful to the timestream. So you want those Triforces, Ganon…" the Doctor said, his eyes changing as he trailed off.

"Finally pieced it together, have you?" Ganondorf asked, grinning. The ball was in his court now.

"…No. Cancer is not so annoying a disease that it would take me an hour and a half to treat. Did you think that Rhoelle would not recognise you, the man who literally shattered her body? Did you think that ten years was enough for us to forget the power of the goddesses dwelling within us? No. We used that hour to summon Pi- completely RUINING her class, thank you very much- and a small army of Skaromia and Automatons. They've been dealing with your bird, too. And I'd imagine having Courage and Power does wonders against your Wisdom, if you even have that. We might not be able to stop you this time, but we will do our BEST to make sure we take as many of you creeps with us as we can. And be warned: your victory might not come as easily as you might think. Ganondorf… you've always been told the future will spell your doom. Time for you to learn that!" the Doctor explained. Ganondorf became aware of an odd sound, as a trio of Automatons appeared behind Ganondorf. Their steps had a terrifying tone to them. Ganondorf turned back to the Doctor, who had vanished.

"Step aside, creatures. It's the Doctor I want," Ganondorf ordered.

 _*YOU are ATtemptING to BRING harm TO the Χ8 &wӔ. this IS unACceptAble. YOU will BE assIMilATed. YOU will BE elIMinATed. THE χ8&Wӕ WILL not SUFfer YOUR hand!* _the head Automaton stated, raising his arm. Ganondorf hurriedly summoned a wall of darkness, blocking the worst of the explosion the Automaton caused. Ganondorf chuckled at the thought of destroying the Doctor's office, before creating the massive form of Ganon from shadow, using it to slap away the Automatons. He left the Doctor's office, to find his minions having finished clearing away Automatons and odd pillars that must've been the Skaromia the Doctor mentioned.

"The Doctor knew it was us. He was preparing," Ganondorf explained.

"Well, duh," Koume responded.

"How much stupider can you get?" Kotake asked.

"Regardless of the cause, the outcome remains the same. We must located the Doctor and Lana and claim their pieces of the Tri Force!" Vaati exclaimed.

"Correct. I will face the Doctor. Vaati, capture the girl, and bring her to me. She might make a half-decent bargaining chip- I'm fairly sure she's his wife. Veran, Onox, you two look for and disable the leaders of these robots. Veran, if you could impersonate the leader, that would be great," Ganondorf commanded. Vaati, Onox and Veran nodded.

"What about us?" Zant asked.

"The Helmaroc King is under attack- I'll need two of you to go to his aid. The rest of you can cause chaos and spread the opposition thinly. The less of them you face at once, the less likely you are to be exploded," Ganondorf elaborated.

"But you would revive us, right?" Agahnim asked.

"…Don't push it," Ganondorf growled.

* * *

Veran and Onox approached the leaders of the forces, Keiko and two extravagantly designed variants of the other robots, with relative ease. Keiko turned to the pair, her bell at her hip, and a pointer in her hands. She was holding her pointer like a cane, and not in the defenceless way. The robot commanders peered at the pair, too.

"So you think you can put the hurt on my big brother, do you?" Keiko asked.

"Of course we do, foolish girl. And it's time we showed you why," Veran boasted.

"Yeah… no. It's time I taught you a lesson," Keiko replied, brandishing her pointer. The Skaromia fired a massive blast at Onox, and the Automaton at Veran. As the pair brushed rubble and dust from their eyes, Keiko switched from her pointer to her bell.

"Let the class begin!" Keiko stated, splashing Veran and Onox with a massive bubble of water summoned with a swipe of her bell. Keiko giggled, and stepped back. Onox jumped back to his feet, and turned into his dragon form. Keiko tried another blast of water, only for Onox's weight to hold him firm. Keiko looked up Onox's form, searching for a target.

 _*RETREAT, Πψ%/3. WE WILL DEFEAT THIS!*_ the Skaromia commander stated.

 _*YOUR teachING is MOST valUaBLE. please CONtinUE to DO it,*_ the Automaton chief added.

"For the sake of future generations… I agree. I'll bring you up to code after the battle," Keiko replied, giving a sad smile, turning to vanish. She crashed into somebody, and fell to the ground. Keiko got to her feet, and noticed Keiko opposite her.

"How incredible… you're me!" Keiko exclaimed.

"Quite. A compliment that cannot be extended to yourself," Keiko replied. Onox lifted the pair up, and pushed them to one side. He knew only that one of them was Veran, and it would only be a matter of time before Veran claimed the upper hand. However, he really did not have the patience to listen to the two Keikos discuss the matter when he had to defeat the robot commanders.

* * *

Vaati giggled, as he created little holes of darkness around Lana. Lana gasped, looking around in fear. This stage was always the best part of capturing a damsel- seeing their fear as the situation sunk in.

"So sorry, miss, but we'll be needing your assistance in getting the Tri Force," Vaati stated.

"Never…" Lana told him, though Vaati was pleased to see that she had no confidence in her claim. Vaati focused, and spun a tornado, sending Lana reeling. Lana focused, and shot an orb of lightning at Vaati. Vaati easily dispelled it.

"Playtime is over," Vaati stated. He held his hands above his head, forming an orb of darkness. He flung it at Lana, and the ball enveloped her. When the darkness faded, all that remained was a stone statue.

"Perfect," Vaati remarked. He knew exactly what to do with this.

* * *

Zant and Ghirahim approached the Helmaroc King cautiously. The bird was fighting at the Skaromia and Automatons at its feet with an unparalleled ferocity. Zant summoned a hand, and slammed down on one at the King's rear. The Automatons turned to the fallen Skaromia. The Skaromia turned to Zant and Ghirahim.

 _*YOU ARE ENEMIES OF THE χ8 &WӔ! THIS CANNOT BE PERMITTED TO STAND! YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED WITH EXTREME PREJUDICE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!* _the Skaromia explained.

"Oh, do you have any idea how this makes me feel, to be told to die? I'll tell you how! I am incredibly, irreversibly…" Zant started, before Ghirahim's hand reached his shoulder.

"Leave the dramatics to me, you crackpot," Ghirahim told him, before turning to the Skaromia.

"I am furious! Outraged!" Ghirahim started.

"SICK WITH ANGER!" both Ghirahim and Zant said in union. Ghirahim turned to Zant.

"What did I tell you? The thing doesn't work when it sounds practiced!" Ghirahim scolded.

"That's not what you told me!" Zant scolded right back. The pair shot into a bunch of rapid, colourful insults for about five minutes, before they realised just what they had been doing.

"…Are we dead yet?" Ghirahim asked, remembering the Skaromia before them. The pair turned back to the Skaromia and Automatons, who were standing at attention.

 _*ORDERS, MASTER GHIRAHIM?*_ a Skaromia asked.

"…No, but I think our luck just turned brilliant," Zant said in response to Ghirahim's comment. A bell chimed in the distance, and the two held their blades aloft.

"We will take the Triforce as our own. March on the Doctor," Ghirahim stated.

 _*MARCH COMMENCING!*_ the Skaromia replied in unison.

* * *

Ganondorf stood before the Doctor. The Doctor was spinning his Luminal over his hands, smiling a little before the confrontation. Ganondorf was staring him down.

"…ALL RIGHT! What are you so happy about?" Ganondorf asked, tired, again, of waiting on the Doctor's games.

"Well, I think you'll find me a tough nut to crack. You're not getting your Triforce of Courage as easily as you might expect," the Doctor replied. Ganondorf swung his sword down, but the Doctor soared away. He landed on one of four pedestals located behind him in a row. He waved his Luminal, and it started shining orange. The ground shook- it was an earthquake. Ganondorf jumped off the ground, hovering. The Doctor leaped across to another pedestal, and waved a light blue Luminal. Strong gusts of wind carrying jagged pieces of metal began blowing from a variety of directions, with the Doctor completely safe. Ganondorf landed on the ground, and the Doctor jumped to a third pedestal. With a red Luminal, flames appeared at the ground, dooming Ganondorf's cape and licking away at his heels. A bell chimed in the distance, and the Doctor faltered.

"Recognise that sound, Doctor? Do you know what that sound means?" Vaati asked, stepping forward. The Doctor gasped, noticing the statue of Lana beside him. The fear that was coursing through Lana at the time was still evident.

"It's what I did to that pesky boy to try and get the Light Force out of Daltus's Zelda brat. When the bell chimes three times, bye bye goes Lana, doesn't it, Doctor? And that was, I believe, the second chime?" Vaati asked. The Doctor held a hand on his Luminal, furious. He looked up, and saw Keiko. Keiko was beaming, and he realised that she had a plan.

"Pi! Thank goodness you're here," the Doctor exclaimed. Keiko looked up at the Doctor, her brow scrunched in confusion. The Doctor stepped back, realising quickly that this Keiko was not his.

"Oh, that's right! Pi is what you call your sister, isn't it? Onox!" Keiko stated. Onox stepped forward, carrying a crystal under his arms. He slammed it into the ground, revealing Keiko trapped within.

"You're going to hand over the Triforce of Courage, Doctor. And if you don't…" Ganondorf stated. The Doctor bowed his head in shame, and held out his hand. The Triforce of Courage appeared from his hand. Ganondorf and Vaati held out theirs, and Power and Courage shot towards Ganondorf's Wisdom. Ganondorf had amassed all three pieces of the Triforce. He pulled them into his being.

"I'm going to go back to my home time, Doctor. I have already defeated that Zelda. And I am going to bring darkness to then. From what Veran has told me about time travel, I'd imagine that won't be pleasant for you. So, I think I'm going to put you out of your misery," Ganondorf explained. He grabbed the Doctor's hair, and lifted him into a standing position. With his free hand, he thrust with one of his massive swords. The blade pierced through the Doctor's stomach, with several inches protruding from his back.

"You're correct, Doctor. It's time I learned a lesson. And that lesson is to stop letting Links run around, ruining my plans. In your final breaths, ponder the fact that I owe it all to you… kid," Ganondorf taunted, before disappearing. His minions followed suit, as did both the Skaromia and the Automatons.


	7. Puppets With Strings

Zelda stood before the Gerudo Desert. If her sources could be believed, a faction of Ganondorf's army had appeared here, without Ganondorf's leadership. Zelda knew that this was her best chance to strike a blow against Ganondorf and live to capitalise on it. And even then, those odds seemed pretty slim…

"Princess Zelda! Please! Stop this madness!" Impa begged. Zelda turned to Impa, seeing her hold a strong façade by sheer iron will. Zelda closed her eyes briefly, before staring at Impa resolutely.

"I believe in Zelda. We can stop those crackpots here. And if we can't, we die doing the right thing," Link stated, stepping forward with a proud glint in his eye. Impa looked at Link incredulously.

"I was talking to the princess. Just because Zelda has taken a shine to you for some small amount of talent does NOT mean you get to act as her mouthpiece," Impa scolded. Zelda opened her mouth, but what thought she was to articulate in defence of whom was lost as she closed it as quickly. She revolved on the spot, and drew her rapier to face the figure she had heard.

The enemy ahead of them was a massive tower, covered in metallic plating. Emerging from its domed head was a single eyestalk. Zelda and Impa alone recognised the creature, both panicking somewhat upon pondering the implications of its presence.

"What are you doing here?" Impa asked the obvious.

 _*I SERVE THE COMMAND OF GANONDORF, OR A SUBORDINATE IN HIS ABSENCE! MY ORDER IS TO EXTERMINATE PRINCESS ZELDA! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!*_ the Skaromia said, before Impa cleaved down on the Skaromia's eyestalk, disabling it. She looked to Zelda, and any emotion she had previously was replaced by fear. The _Doctor_ was afraid of the Skaromia. And they had been stolen from his time- and they could be sure there would be more than one- and placed into an earlier time period.

"Our odds haven't changed," Zelda said, her face an impasse of emotion, even in the face of danger. Impa had no idea how.

"So what do we do?" Link asked, wringing his hands. Zelda pulled out and unfurled a map of the Gerudo Desert area, her eyes crossing from point to point in a hurry. She cupped her right ear, and listened for some noise- many soldiers who tried the same couldn't hear what she was hearing.

"The three commanders are located at the Spirit Temple, the Arbiter's Grounds and the Sandship. Each one has in their control… oh, I see. The Helmaroc King, and two commanders of the forces from the Doctor's time period. One leads the Skaromia, and the other leads the… Automatons," Zelda said confidently. They had a plan. Once they reached the desert, a sizable army for each.

* * *

Unfortunately, that plan was scarpered before it got going. Zelda had missed Agahnim, and he was now facing them, keeping them trapped in a bottleneck before the openness of the desert. The River of Sand lay to their right, and a gaggle of Goriya to their left. Agahnim was before them, trident in hand.

"Well well well… looks like someone's not as smart as they claim to be. Or is that just the fact you don't have your Triforce of Wisdom anymore?" Agahnim drawled. Zelda stood before Agahnim confidently, speaking her mind. No one other than they were paying attention to her words. The Hylian army were arranging themselves to form a tortoise shielding against the Goriya, while Impa passed Link a Hookshot to get across the River.

"Don't think you've got me fooled," Agahnim stated simply, slamming the trident to the ground. A small horde of Skaromia appeared, Skannons trained on the group. Zelda's rapier glinted in the sun, facing down Agahnim.

"What's it to be, Princess? If you surrender now, I might put in a good word for you and you alone to be spared. Seeing how you plan your escape is actually darkly amusing to us, and I for one would hate to see that talent destroyed," Agahnim taunted. Zelda turned to Link and Impa briefly, before holding her rapier forward, eyes narrowed.

* * *

The Doctor looked across the ruins of his town, the ruins left by Ganondorf's attack. So many lives lost… and for what? A failure. He looked closer, at Lana's statue, at Keiko's crystal. His sister and his wife… what a disappointment he must look. But he mustn't step down. He still had to prevent Ganondorf's rise to power. The timestream couldn't handle his victory. He tried to stand, but his wound prevented him.

"I don't want to go…" the Doctor said to himself. He couldn't go. He had a job to do. He wouldn't go. He had friends to save. The mantra flowed through his head, as a silver light began to shine from the Doctor's waist, around the lips of his wound. This surprised him: he hadn't reached the Luminal's active switch yet. But then he remembered something he had done a long time ago.

In his desire to become the greatest Doctor who had ever lived, he had found a way to cheat death. The procedure was unstable as all hell the last time he tested it, but he remembered clearly that he had absorbed a prototype of that procedure into himself, to be activated should he arrive at death's door. He looked as his wound again. Death's door was looking plenty big from here.

As the thought occurred to him, the silver light shone even brighter than before. Now, the light was beginning to emanate from all across his body. The Doctor thought back to his testing. It had appeared to have been a failure because the dead cells changed their genetic structure upon regeneration. Now that he was in dire need of the regeneration, he didn't mind that as much. In fact, as the pins and needles of his body changing form shot into himself, he began looking forward to looking at himself and seeing what had changed.

Pillars of light shot from his body, shooting in five points that might vaguely have resembled a star- though more like an asterisk, for their length. The Doctor held his arms forward, the light of his regeneration bathing Lana's statue and Keiko's crystal. The light shone amazingly bright, and the Doctor's figure burst from the star's centre. Lana and Keiko awoke from their entrapment, and noticed the shape before them.

"Ashley?" Lana asked. The Doctor grabbed the Luminal, and stood. Lana and Keiko shared a glance, wondering how best to put to words what they were seeing. The Doctor raised the Luminal, and spun it around. A portal through time appeared, and Lana and Keiko nodded. The three returned to the past, ready to kick some Ganon butt.

* * *

 _*…ALERT! ALERT! THE DOCTOR IS DETECTED! INFORM HIGH COMMAND! WE HAVE THE DOCTOR!*_ many Skaromia on Zelda's flank stated. Link and Impa jumped at that news- the Doctor was here? They hadn't been watching Zelda, so they couldn't know if she had known- she had kept up a façade that was starting to grate on Impa.

"No, no, no! The Doctor is NOT here! I saw him die with my own two eyes! Ganondorf himself saw to his execution. His town of residence was nothing but rubble, his wife a stone statue, his little sister encased in crystal! I refuse to believe the Doctor is detected!" Agahnim roared at the Skaromia, infuriated. Zelda turned to Link, and rushed to hug him. The news of the Doctor's death was apparently her limit. Impa took to it to step forward.

"Did you see the Doctor breath his last breath?" Impa asked coolly. Agahnim opened his mouth, paused for a fraction of a second, and denied her claim. As he did so, he heard a whirring noise, before a large boom. A blue wave appeared over the sky, appearing in a large loop overhead. The Skaromia beside them fell into the River of Sands, non-functional.

"What the hell was that? How was I supposed to come prepared to deal with that?" Agahnim asked, stomping his feet and waving his arms across. A large wall of sand was launched from the ground behind him, and through it emerged three girls, walking in unison.

"Hello, there, petulant wizard. I would be the one who finally got the chance to play with my little toy. My word, how I hated those things," the middle girl, a lass with black hair, green eyes and a familiar bearing, said, arms on hips proudly, and a cheeky grin on her face.

"As for what you were going to do about it? Nothing!" the girl on the right, a girl with brown hair and looked even more familiar than the first, yelled, pumping her fists.

"Because I watched as you tried your hardest and you STILL failed!" the girl on the left taunted, leaning forward as she spat the words out. She was the most familiar of all… in fact, Zelda and Impa were sure that they knew who she was!

"And what's it to…" Agahnim started to say, before realisation dawned in his eyes. He looked between the two girls on either side. Zelda looked closely at the right girl, too. Were her hair an electric blue colour, she would look mostly like someone she knew. But that left the third girl… who was she? Her best guess was… but that couldn't be…

"Yes, Agahnim. That's right. I have come back from certain death. Scared yet?" the middle girl taunted. Agahnim started blabbering, before the girl raised a small object. She pushed a button, and the object's tip shone a pink colour. She spun her arm around sharply, and Agahnim was pulled from in front of the girl to over the River of Sands. The light went out, and Agahnim was dropped in. Agahnim shot one last parting shot, but the girl on the right shot a ball of lightning at it, dispelling it before harm could be done.

"…You must be… but you can't be…" Zelda said vaguely, staring at the girl with the wand. Her hand was raised, as if considering pointing.

"Surprised to see me like this, aren't you? Regeneration's a lottery, milady… I could never get it to work properly," the Doctor explained, smiling. She held up the Luminal.

"It's been ten long years, Princess Zelda of Hyrule… but Ganondorf has attacked your land, and mine, too. Stabbed me right in the chest. I'm really bitter about that, actually. So thought it was about time to come back and give you a hand," the Doctor explained.

"You can't be the Doctor. I don't know how you got ten years to appear out of nowhere, but even if you did have that time, men do not turn into women!" Impa stated.

"You are correct for your time, but is this not a battlefield we're on? I thought Keiko told me something about someones other than Agah-whatsisface prancing about. I think taking the menace out of their prowl is a bit more of a priority than me explaining how I changed my shape," the Doctor babbled, her smile not leaving her face as she explained, with extravagant gestures, her thought processes.

"And to help with that…" Lana started, before holding up her book. Four portals surrounded her, and out tumbled the familiar faces of Time, Twilight, Sky and Wind. The four saw each other, the Zelda of the time period, and Keiko, before turning back to themselves.

"Where are we?" they asked in union.

"Here's the abridged version: Imthedoctorregeneratedbecauseigotstabbedinthechestbyganondorfandthisplaceisunderattackbyzantghirahimtwinrovaandthehelmarockingwelllikelythosefourifthisplaceislikelytobeconvenientandwewantyourhelptodefeatthesefoesandthenlikelyganondorfhimselfandthoseotherminionshehadthatgaveustroubleinourtimeperiodwewilllikelynotpayyoubutthiscampaignwilldefinitelybemuchshorterthanciaswasespeciallyifiputmyhypothesistothetestandorbringalongsomemorebackup. Understand? Yes? Good! Off we go!" the Doctor babbled, turning on her heel and pressing onward.

"…I don't remember him being that crazy…" Impa remarked, hand to her chin.

"Nor do I. He's never been like this as long as I've known him…" Keiko said, eyebrows scrunched up.

"Personally, I don't mind it, but… when and if we catch up to her, I'll have a talk with her," Lana suggested, waving her arms placatingly. She followed after the Doctor, and everyone else took the hint to separate to find Ganondorf's minions. Everyone was confident that, at least, the Doctor could be persuaded to reason, if she wasn't already there- in her own little way.

* * *

The Doctor walked right on up to a metallic monstrosity that was scanning the desert. Well, monstrosity was relative. The peaceful capabilities of the robot were well practiced, but some wounds ran deep. The Doctor's glare was a harsh one.

 _Civil Commander SKAROMIA #001_

"So, we meet at last in battle, Double-oh one," the Doctor taunted, hands on her hips, Luminal at the ready.

 _*EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!*_ #001 commanded. The Doctor rolled her eyes, and activated the magnetism on her Luminal. A high-pitched noise escaped the device, and #001's eyestalk sagged. The Doctor removed the magnetic force from play, and #001 perked right back up.

"Oh come on! I know about contractually obligated boss immunity, but seriously? You're immune to being magnetically fried? What kind of robots are you lot?" the Doctor asked, looking between her Luminal and the Skaromia.

 _*WE *CLICK* ARE THE SKAROMIA *WHIRR* DESIGNED TO *BEEP* KEEP THE PEACE *CLANG* BY EXTERMINATING THE PESTS *DING* KIND OF LIKE YOU EXTERMINATE *WHUMP-WHUMP-WHUMP* DISEASE, DOCTOR *Error parsing code*!*_ #001 stated. Parts of him were sliding up and down- clearly magnetic interference did do something.

"Oh yeah? Was my _mother_ a pest? Did you think you would be using me as an analogy when you nearly exterminated me? I don't like you Skaromia… no, I don't like you Daleks one bit. That's what you are. You're Daleks, and I'm sure whoever was first called a Dalek would be shaking his head to see you," the Doctor yelled, fury lining her face.

 _**CLICK* PLEASE DO NOT *BEEP* SWEAR UNLESS *KACHING* UNDER DURESS…*_ #001 started, before the Doctor spun her arm around, and shot something from the tip of her Luminal. The Skaromia's lights turned off, #001 shut down.

"I'm going to have to clean you lot up after this. Leaving robots in the desert this far back in time will do horrible things to the timestream. I'm going to savour exterminating you," the Doctor taunted, a cheeky grin on her face. Perhaps, after hearing about this, the government might actually switch back to human policemen.

"Ashley!" Lana's voice echoed. The Doctor turned, and waved at Lana as she approached.

"Ashley, I want to talk to you," Lana said, something in her eyes. The Doctor turned back to #001's shell, then back to Lana.

"Can't it wait?" the Doctor asked.

"No… Ashley, are you feeling all right? You've been acting all…" Lana explained, a tear in the corner of her eye. The Doctor looked down, wringing her hands.

"You know how we've been trying to get me on good terms with the Skaromia?" the Doctor asked nervously. Lana nodded, looking at #001 with trepidation.

"Well… I think it's…" the Doctor started, casting another look at #001.

"…No, I'll wait until I can tell Pi, too. It concerns her as well… I've been lying to her for far too long," the Doctor explained, firmness returning to her eyes. Lana smiled.

"As long as you actually get to it, I'm happy. How are you handling your new body?" Lana asked, smiling a little. The Doctor took the moment to inspect it, and stretch out a little.

"Nothing too major. I appear to have completely switched from male to female hormones, so my body is not as angry as it could be if the switch was imperfect," the Doctor explained.

"So it's just the whole 'Dalek' thing?" Lana asked, held tilted.

"You heard that… don't tell Pi I ever said that word. I don't want to hear me say that word again," the Doctor said, looking down in shame.

* * *

Twilight was the first of the Links to find one of Ganondorf's minions. As she prowled the desert, rather annoyed that she couldn't access her wolf form to help her stand the heat, she noticed a pair of long talons land in the ground before her. Twilight looked up to the sky, at their owner, before drawing her crossbows.

 _Lord of the Skies: HELMAROC KING!_

Twilight started strafing around the Helmaroc King, firing only a few bolts at a time. She did keep varying the number of shots psuedo-randomly, but the Helmaroc King continued to evade them, despite being such a big target. Twilight refused to let what only appeared to be poor accuracy break her morale. She did, however, pause her fire, and permitted the Helmaroc King an attack. The King slammed into the ground, revealing that his helm seemed rather brittle. Twilight knew exactly what weapon she'd need to counter that. She focused, and leaped into the air. The Helmaroc King did the same, meaning that Twilight attached to his talons. She shrugged, and clambered onto the King's back, before pulling her legs across as if she was riding sidesaddle. She recognised that attempting astride would just be painful even for a taller person. She took a moment to steady her rhythm, as well as become accustomed to the Helmaroc King's attempts to shake her off, before reaching for her Ball and Chain. Reason then told her to avoid that- and then she received an even better idea for how to take down the king. She pulled on his feathers, and sent him falling down towards a boat on which an intricately designed robot stood. She jumped from the King at the last moment, rolling to minimise injury, as the King crashed into wood and what was hopefully quicksand.

* * *

Wind walked up to the odd statue. He could clearly see there was some sort of building inside, but the outside design itself was rather inspired. Wind was considering that right up until he noticed two figures shoot forth from within the place. They spiralled down until they were circling the space before him.

 _Sorceress Sisters TWINROVA_

"Time for a cookout!" Koume boasted.

"No way- I think this dish is best served cold!" Kotake argued.

"All right, so that one is fire and that one is ice, got it," Wind chuckled. Koume and Kotake looked between each other, as Wind fired an Ice Arrow at Koume, and a Fire Arrow at Kotake. He smirked, watching them trying to shake off the sudden attack as he launched another pair of arrows. He then prepared a third pair, and shot them towards the opposite target. In their haste to take evasive action, this trick actually wound up doing significant damage to the pair.

"How's that, you ugly old hags?" Wind asked confidently. Twinrova responded by reforming into her giantess form. Wind put away his bow, reasonably expecting that his arrows would be less effective. Instead, he used his Deku Leaf. When Twinrova fired an impressive ice bolt as a revenge tactic, Wind responded by reflecting the bolt with a gust of wind from the Leaf. Twinrova fell to her knees, and Wind ran forward to thrust with his sword. Twinrova shattered under the attack.

"And the irony of it is the fire attack might've weakened by being blown at by wind," Wind remarked, turning to leave Twinrova.

* * *

Ghirahim was overseeing the battlefield efforts on one side. The rather disappointing amount of it sent anger all across his body, and it was showing. However, he could not miss the intentionally deep sounds of Time stepping up behind him.

"Hello there, kiddo," Ghirahim sneered. Time's eyebrows knitted together, and his Gilded Sword was drawn.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, you've been an adult maybe… but look at you! You're just a kid! What the heck are you going to do to me?" Ghirahim asked. Time levelled his sword, hatred shooting forward from his eyes and confidence surrounding a frame too small to hold it. What Time had missed was that Ghirahim was not alone. Zant had snuck up behind Time, and disarmed him, before grabbing him in a bear hug.

"Well well… it seems that your daughter did inherit a few of her more annoying traits from her father," Zant commented. Time turned around and bit Zant, making sure to choose something that wasn't heavily armoured to attack. Zant growled, and pulled his arm back, making sure his other one kept Time secure. As he pulled it up, Zant found it pinned up near his head by a neat sword- and heard some heavy wingbeats behind him.

"Let. Go. Of Time," Sky snarled. Zant didn't need to have fought Sky to be scared of that. He complied, and Time grabbed his sword and stepped backwards, to place Zant and Ghirahim into his vision. Sky did a loop, and stood beside him.

"What do you think, Ghirahim? That demon enough for you?" Sky taunted, continuing to keep his wings out, hovering for the sake of hovering. He was smiling in spite of himself, enjoying the playfulness he had the chance to exude.

"Zant, deal with the boy. I will clean this mess up myself," Ghirahim ordered, drawing his sword, and advancing. Sky nudged Time, and Time charged. He began slashing away at Ghirahim's legs, not being able to reach much higher. However, as Ghirahim quickly figured out, this made it harder for Ghirahim to counter as he was used to- he'd have to crouch to put Time on his level, and crouching would inhibit his mobility. However, to stay upright also carried some harsh disadvantages, such as weaker parries- and blows to the leg could deal plenty of damage.

Not very often Time found himself enjoying his more youthful form over his mature one.

Sky, meanwhile, was facing against Zant. Zant's strikes were far less methodical and far more crazy than Sky had been led to believe, so Zant got the advantage due to that alone. However, as Sky adapted, he found himself striking at opportune moments- which the random nature of Zant's attacks showed plenty of, even if they had to be capitalised on with a swift reaction time. Zant reared back, and shot forward like a tornado. Sky spun with his sword, adding an opposing spin to Zant's, and sending him tumbling. Sky leaped forward with his finishing attack, to which Ghirahim sent him stumbling away. Time jumped over Zant, and slammed down with his Megaton Hammer, knocking both off balance. His quick sword stroke damaged both, and Sky charged back in for a finishing strike.

"Thanks for the help, Time," Sky said proudly, holding out his hand and beaming. Time took it, returning the expression.

* * *

Everyone reconvened back at the Gerudo Fortress, and the soldiers were given a break. The Doctor was with only Lana and Keiko, at her request- the others were taking the time to prepare themselves.

"So, Chi… what was it about the Skaromia that you weren't telling me?" Keiko asked, her bright eyes letting the Doctor know she didn't blame him- well, yet.

"Well… it was a rather long time ago. It was around the time Mum died… no, it would be more accurate to say it _was_ when Mum died," the Doctor started, guilt already starting to settle in. It was mostly with Lana's aid that the Doctor was still standing.

"But… she died to cancer, didn't she? That's why you became a doctor, wasn't it? What does this have to do with the Skaromia?" Keiko asked.

"She wasn't killed by cancer. It was them. Four of them. They approached our house, chanting that creepy 'Exterminate!' chant, and took aim. There wasn't even an offer of a chance to surrender before they fired. The house was shattered… and they came up to us. Their eyestalks trained on us- me, scared of these giant things with laser guns, and her, trying her hardest to protect me. One of the Skaromia approached her… they asked for Mum to come with them. Mum said no… she wanted to stick with me. So they killed her. Three of their shots hit her at once, and the fourth guy's shot nearly hit me. They left me there, too… if it weren't for a group of Automatons who filled up the pantry while they fixed the house, that would've been why I died, too," the Doctor explained. Tears were in her eyes- and in Keiko's, too.

"So why did you lie?" Keiko asked.

"I didn't want you to hate them as much as I did… at the time, you were so young, and so pure… by the time you were old enough to start hating, it was too late for me to turn around and out myself as a liar," the Doctor told her.

"Well, you didn't exactly hide your hatred very well… and I was never purer than you. I was surrounded by kids trading words like 'Dalek' around like they were going out of style, while you kept your nose out of that. Honestly, probably a wise choice," Keiko giggled, grinning. The Doctor let out a slight wince.

"See? You flinch when I swear," Keiko pointed out, chuckling.

"Well… now that you have let that out, time to see what the people of the past are planning. I've got something I want to show them," Lana suggested, patting the tome she wielded when she summoned the Links. The Doctor and Keiko both clued into her idea immediately, agreed it had merit, and followed her to the planning area.


	8. Soul of the Demon

The Doctor led the march on Hyrule Castle. If the rumours were true, they hadn't a moment to spare- while Ganondorf could be found here, he was allegedly gathering strength, and the more of that he did, the worse off they would find themselves. She turned her head, looking back at the soldiers who were under her command.

"Here be the father of all evil. If thou hast any hesitation, kindly escort yourselves to the back of the pack, and no one will think the worse of you for it," she announced in a monotone voice. No one moved. Whether that was not understanding that the Doctor was offering a way out or genuinely having the courage to face Ganondorf. For the Doctor, it didn't matter any more than the morale penalty for choosing the former. And their secret weapon could mitigate that- which was why she suggested it in the first place. The Doctor looked forward.

"Ganon! Show yourself!" she commanded. Ganondorf materialised before her, smirking as he saw an unarmed commander. Self-confident, yeah, and he knew he had no chance of killing her now, but unarmed nonetheless. The Doctor was just surprised Ganondorf found this confidence-inspiring, rather than otherwise.

"So, you stand against me," Ganondorf uttered, his lip curling in distaste.

"Well, duh! I just wanted to highlight something for you to consider," the Doctor told him, smiling all the while. She turned to Lana, the whip of her hair sending a blast of air into Ganondorf's face.

"Ready?" the Doctor asked. Lana nodded, and opened her tome. Golden portals shone all across Hyrule Field. Ganondorf turned to face each one, terror slowly etching onto his face as he realised what was happening.

Links. Male Links. Female Links. Links that were good with swords. Links that preferred other items. Links of all descriptions were making their appearance. The Doctor turned to Ganondorf, still beaming that infernal smile.

"One of these guys can ruin all your plans and defeat you. Just imagine what fifty or so of them could do!" the Doctor exclaimed. Ganondorf growled, regaining his composure.

"Fifty of them against how many of us? I have the Triforce- and I've still got Vaati. It'll come down to endurance… and besides, I control Hyrule Castle. My power is unlimited! I don't think a million Links could out endure me!" Ganondorf boasted, before vanishing. The Doctor turned to the Links, who were all testing their swords and looking for their leader, and shook her hair over her face.

"Hi. I'm the Doctor. I'm from the future, and this man may be familiar to some slash all of you. Ganondorf Dragmire has claimed the entire Triforce, and as he points out, he has power beyond imagination to draw upon to defeat us. It will come down to us, the heroes of legends, to defeat him as he stands, and restore peace to now and to forever. Who's with me?" the Doctor asked, a confident smirk ready. The Links looked between each other, apprehensive.

"…I'm with you," Twilight stated, walking up to stand next to the Doctor.

"…Same," Sky said, following her.

"Agreed," Wind echoed. The four (including Time) were stood beside the Doctor, their swords held aloft.

"…I'm in," another heroine pitched in. This was Taylor, one of the heroes of the kingdom of Hytopia.

"Count us in," another girl added, holding up her blade. The Link beside her followed suit, observing her as he did so. These Links fought against the Calamity Ganon with the power of the Wild.

"I stand with you, hero," a boy called, stepping forward to hold up his blade. This was Legend, the name given to the hero that fought Ganon when the situation seemed most dire- when Hyrule itself was in hiding.

"Well then… we have a Ganon to beat," the Doctor murmured. It didn't matter either way. She had the faith of them all.

* * *

The advance began, and as it did so, the Links fought off many challenging foes. Lynels, Wizzrobes, Molblins, Zazaks, Darknuts… Ganondorf wasn't holding anything back. No foes as simple as Miniblins were going to appear. The Doctor and Twilight led the scouting forces around these foes, and confirmed that many of the seemingly abandoned fortifications had been manned- for lack of a better word- and were holding their defence. These walls would not be destroyed with the sword- nor Twilight's Ball and Chain, nor any of her bombs. It would be down to them to find a way to open the path. They returned to the rear for their report.

"Don't worry, ladies…" one Link chuckled. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a massive Bombchu.

"I am the Hero of the Gorons. I've used a lot of explosives in my time as the Link. Unfortunately, Bombchus can get really partial- they'll need a bit of momentum before they can destroy a wall like the ones you're describing. You'll need to protect one as it approaches vulnerable," this Link stated, shrugging apologetically.

"Thank you, Boomer…" Lana assured him, turning to give the order.

"A Bombchu?" a menacing voice asked. Keiko turned, recognising that voice.

"Onox…" she whispered, ringing her bell threateningly. "I don't care what you think you're going to do, but you're not extinguishing this light!" She charged, and a pair of Links- a boy and a girl- followed her on her search for Onox.

* * *

As it turns out, Onox was looming over the target wall. He spread a wall of fire before him- not to hurt his foes, but to demonstrate what he was going to do. Keiko rung her bell, sending forth a torrent of water and dousing the flames. The two Links that accompanied her, Aegis and Seasons, brandished their blades, and Seasons a rod as well.

"Fools… you will not get your Bombchu alight!" Onox boasted.

"…Even if that was a threat, we're getting our Bombchu alight just fine. It's keeping it alight that's the problem," Keiko pointed out. Onox growled, and the Bombchu made its appearance in range. Onox fired a fireball at it, and Keiko splashed it away. Unfortunately, the splash radius extinguished the Bombchu, too. Keiko growled, and kicked it at the wall. Aegis pulled out a flute, and played it, preparing for the next Bombchu. Keiko was watching her surroundings carefully, wondering how best to distract Onox without dousing Bombchu. Onox fired his fireball, and Keiko shot a ball of water up at it, luckily not splashing the Bombchu behind her. She jumped on top of the Bombchu, and began deflecting the bolts as they came. Aegis had hopped aboard a kangaroo, and was climbing atop the wall. Keiko missed a blast, and it was only with the quick intervention of Seasons's Gale Seeds that Keiko made it clear of the blast.

"We need a better plan…" Keiko muttered, running her hand through her hair. Boomer sent along another Bombchu, and Keiko got an idea. She pointed at the ground, and swung up her bell. The torrent did strike one of Onox's fireballs, but the idea Keiko had was transferred to Seasons. She walked in front of the Bombchu, and dug a hole with the shovel. The dirt hit a fireball, and the Bombchu changed course. Onox shot a few fireballs in between dealing with Aegis's attack, letting Seasons dig holes quickly and easily. The Bombchu approached the wall, and Onox reared back for a massive flame breath. Keiko rang her bell, the notes echoing across the field. She summoned a large fish to come forward and strike Onox at the last second, preventing the flame attack for those few seconds the Bombchu needed to get in range of the wall. Boomer lit it, and Aegis jumped away, letting the Bombchu explode on Onox instead. The way forward was open.

"Hopefully we don't need to defend any more Bombchu…" Keiko remarked, panting from the exertion.

"If we do, we probably won't have someone harder to deal with than Onox," Seasons replied, looking just the same.

* * *

Time and Twilight were the first to shoot through the gap, sword and crossbows at the ready. There were many powerful monsters, but they seemed to be left at bay. Twilight raised an eyebrow in confusion, but did not fire, in fear of provoking an attack. For the same reason, Time was apprehensive about attempting an advance.

"Well, well, well… looks like I've got the pair of you right where I want you," Ganondorf's voice echoed. Both Time and Twilight gasped, as Ganondorf walked purposefully towards them. He had a menacing grin on his face.

"Ganondorf…" Twilight muttered, trying her hardest to hold back her shivering as she levelled her crossbows. Ganondorf put a hand to his chin, clearly choosing a taunt.

"You are the one they call 'Twilight', correct? Daughter of the Link standing behind you? He looks pretty young… what do think the odds are that this Link's had the chance to do the deed with your mother?" Ganondorf asked. Twilight turned to Time, who looked white as a sheet and was backing away as fast as possible. Ganondorf held up a hand, summoning a ball of magic, and tossed it at Time. It disappeared in a swipe of air.

"Please leave the time paradox causing to the professionals," the Doctor taunted, spinning around her Luminal, before blowing the tip of it as if it were a gun. Sadly, the coolness of the move was probably lost on the audience, but she could make do.

"I don't think I've seen you before…" Ganondorf stated, raising an eyebrow in confusion. The Doctor giggled, shooting him her signature beam.

"Oh, I go by many names. Some call me the Doctor, some call me Link. No one does the latter too often, though. My sister calls me Chi, and my wife calls me Ashley. Kind of funny, now that I'm a girl. The name I was given at birth, though, is χ8&WӔ. And if that doesn't send a shiver down your spine, well, please tell me how I can salvage any amount of coolness into this entrance," the Doctor babbled, sheepishly shrugging at her boast's end.

"Doctor… but…" Ganondorf stuttered, stepping back in horror.

"You killed me? Yeah, that was a thing that occurred. So?" the Doctor laughed, still with her playful demeanour. From the look in Ganondorf's eye, this was no less annoying to him than the patience he was forced to demonstrate when he fought the Doctor in his time.

"Well… I am going to kill you now, Doctor. I am going to kill you, and I am finally going to stop getting fed up with your attitude. You are a thorn in my side and a pain to deal with," Ganondorf growled.

"Of course you will. You're so cute when you're completely wrong," the Doctor cooed, brandishing the Master Sword, and brushing her hair from her face.

"My strength is unlimited. I'm not wrong!" Ganondorf commanded, his eyes darting towards the castle.

"Twilight, go get backup and attack the castle," the Doctor whispered. Twilight nodded, blushing, and the Doctor stepped up to Ganondorf. A yellow and blue barrier, formed from both combatants, surrounded them. The various monsters were galvanised into attack, and Time dashed away, needing to galvanise a few more Links.

Luckily, there were some as backup, but with Twilight's order, that force may have been diminished.

* * *

Twilight led a small legion of Links around to the side of Hyrule Castle. This close by, it was readily apparent that this was the source of Ganondorf's power. Twilight was eager to punch a hole in that, and help the Doctor any way she could. She turned to her force. Picora, Seasons, Taylor, Lana, Keiko, another Taylor, Delfina…

Wait, did she just spot another Taylor?

Twilight suddenly drew her crossbows, and pointed them at the two Taylors, her eyes narrowed. The two Taylors had the same shocked reaction, but everyone else realised the duplicate, and gave the pair a wide berth, switching to standing behind Twilight.

"Very well. You've noticed one of us is a duplicate. But how are you going to tell which one?" one of the Taylors asked, a smirk on her face. Twilight loosed her crossbow, hitting that one in the chest. Darkness began swirling around her, and Veran's form began to appear.

"That is not a taunt a Link would say. And that was a very loose thread by duplication standards," Twilight taunted, confident in herself to defeat Veran, even as she assumed a bug form. She felt a fiery energy encompass her, and she felt confident that her fire could beat Veran's bug.

"You are nothing but a pesky fly buzzing around Master Ganondorf's head… and guess who eats flies," Veran boasted, an indescribable material that was hopefully saliva bubbling around her lips and flying all over the place. Twilight shot her Clawshot, shooting all the way up to Veran, and shot a bolt into Veran's neck from above. Veran transformed into her bee form, and Twilight grabbed a hold of her fur. She crawled around Veran, resisting any attempt to shake her off, until she reached the stinger. She placed her foot onto the stinger, and, biting her lip, she pushed against it with all the might in her foot, using as much of her muscle as possible while still remaining attached to Veran. Veran started buzzing around erratically, and Twilight looked over to the nearby river. She pulled on Veran's fur, tugging her over to the river. Veran's movements demonstrated her chaos, and she missed both the river and Twilight jumping from her body.

"There's something satisfying in seeing the same trick work twice," Twilight chuckled, feeling the sort of happiness the Doctor was radiating.

"Twilight, we're all across," Seasons called. Twilight looked up, and noticed that, indeed, everyone was on the other side. Twilight nodded, and allowed Seasons to pick her up and carry her across with the Magnetic Gloves.

* * *

"So how do we get in?" Twilight asked. The girls had found a sizable location on which to stand, but access to the room radiating power was barred by a massive oaken door. Even if Seasons did take the time to fetch Boomer, they doubted there would be enough room to launch a Bombchu.

"I think there's a secret route…" Picora suggested, walking around a corner. She was feeling the walls, before returning, shrugging.

"Could've sworn…" Picora started.

"Not gonna happen. Little known fact about Hyrule Castle- it gets changed every now and then to confuse attackers like Ganondorf, who might otherwise glean plenty from repeated failed sieges," Twilight explained, her grin tarred by the loss of that information.

"How… but only the Royal Family knows that…" Picora started, the slightest hint of a stutter occurring to her.

"The Maiden Queen had me help her out when she had to undo the mess Calderas left behind. This doesn't remind me of anything I saw with the Maiden Queen's era nor Calderas's, so I'm as stumped as the next girl," Twilight explained, looking around for anything that might be the slightest bit familiar. Having seen a change, she should know about some kind of common trait Hyrule Castles were designed with, something should be familiar…

"Twilight…" Lana muttered. Her face was a little scared, but it mostly seemed to request Twilight's attention. Twilight turned to the door, to notice it opening. She entered, followed by Picora, Taylor and Seasons.

"So… you've figured it out…" Vaati's voice echoed into the courtyard. The door slammed shut, and Vaati appeared before the four.

"You, Princess Zelda… you have thwarted my plans one too many times. I will not let you thwart this one. I don't care how many friends you've brought. You're not going to win this time!" Vaati commanded, transforming into Vaati's Wrath. Picora brandished a golden cane, and she and Vaati began circling one another. Taylor hurried to one corner of the arena, and began crafting something. She asked for Twilight and Season's hairs, and added her own to it. She even managed to take one of Picora's.

Picora herself, meanwhile, was watching Vaati's arms. One came up under Taylor, and Twilight quickly pulled her away as the arm appeared. Seasons, under instruction from Picora, held it in place after the cane was swung, as Picora called upon the power of Ezlo. In the blink of an eye, Picora turned to a size that could readily thread an eye of a needle. Seasons watched Picora cross the pavement, and hop into the arm. The arm squirmed around in her grip, but she held firm, as Picora destroyed the arm from within.

"Taylor, what are you doing?" Seasons asked, relieved once the arm she held broke off. Picora resumed normal size, and aimed to do the same to the other arm.

"Tailoring," Taylor replied vaguely, grinning as she wove material of all types. The blonde hair she was using seemed much more plentiful than the four strands she had started with.

"…Tailor faster, all right?" Seasons asked, turning to the other arm to grab it. Twilight noticed that Vaati was now all eye, and took the chance to start firing bolts at it. Vaati closed his eye, and the bolts plinked off. He opened his eye, as well as four eyes that had hitherto escaped notice. All four spat out electrical orbs, which Twilight dodged, on the cusp of panic. She aimed and fired at the eyes, but they simply remained frustratingly closed. Picora and Seasons stood by her side, readying their swords. Twilight took that as her cue to do the same. Vaati fired his four orbs again, and the three heroes reflected three of them. The blast was shrugged off easily, as the thought of Vaati's weakness occurred to the group.

"Taylor!" Twilight called, inwardly blessing her luck. Four Links for a foe that needed four.

"Just in time, too!" Taylor called out. She held out her garment, a yellowy dress that Twilight tried to not think too hard on its origin, and spun around on the spot. She reformed, now wearing the garment, and the red Hero's Clothes she started with were in her hands. She pocketed the Hero's Clothes, and stood beside the Links.

"I call this the Formation Attire! It allows me to control and manage formations!" Taylor explained proudly, holding her sword aloft. Twilight looked apprehensive, as did Picora and Seasons. 'Control' alone made it sound a little weird.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Twilight asked, eyebrow raised.

"Oh, you sound like Kipling. I know my fashion," Taylor told her evasively, a sentence that was in no way comforting for the girls to hear.

"Wide!" Taylor barked, and the four girls assumed a straight line. Vaati fired his row of electric orbs, and Taylor swung her sword. The three other girls did the same, sending the orbs into Vaati and stunning him. Taylor walked up, and began repeatedly slashing away at Vaati. The other girls did the same, until Vaati resumed his position.

"Break!" Taylor commanded, and everyone formed a line behind her. Taylor ran around Vaati, avoiding the electric orbs fired in a random manner. Vaati shivered, and split into four. The four surrounded Taylor, but she was by no means cornered.

"Cross!" she ordered, and the four Links assumed a cross formation, with their backs all to each other, each facing a cardinal direction. Vaati fired the four electric orbs into that formation, and Taylor reflecting the orbs perfectly caused the others to do the same. Vaati reformed, and roared, shaking around dazedly.

"…I've got it! Totem time!" Taylor said. Almost as if it were rehearsed, Seasons picked up Twilight, Picora picked up Seasons, and Taylor picked up Picora. Twilight found herself level with Vaati- and from here, his eye looked a much more tempting target. With a single shot, Vaati began exploding in his overdramatic way, and Taylor could take that time to dissipate the totem and resume her normal wear.

"For future reference, 'Heroine of Fashion', I don't like having my free will taken away," Twilight explained, shaking herself off. Seasons and Picora, although stretching their muscles again, echoed her sentiment.

"Sorry…" Taylor squeaked, shyly smiling and shrugging.

* * *

The Doctor and Ganondorf both paused in their duel, having felt the impact of Hyrule Castle changing. The purple light that enveloped it began fading, and the Doctor smiled.

"Looks like someone… just got…" she started, before feeling a lot of pain in her waist. She looked into Ganondorf's eye, and saw nothing but pride. She sighed deeply, and turned to her waist, where there was indeed a massive gaping wound. Again.

"Well… can't say that wasn't my fault…" the Doctor remarked. She groaned, and reached for her Luminal. She fumbled with the controls, at a loss for how to activate it. Blood loss reached her brain, and she fell to her knees, her Luminal dropping into the grass. The best she could hope for was a regeneration, and she didn't think it'd work again…

"NO!" a girl cried out. Ganondorf turned, and saw not Lana or Keiko, but Twilight. Twilight ran to the Doctor's side, and took her head. She sobbed into it, sadness winning out over anger at Ganondorf. However, Ganondorf knew that advantage would not remain for long.

"The Doctor is dead, girl," Ganondorf stated, preparing a shot of darkness to fire at Twilight.

"And that's where you're wrong, Ganondork," Keiko stated, holding up a bottle of silver dust triumphantly. Grinning as madly as the Doctor, she walked up to Ganondorf with confidence, Lana shortly behind her.

"What now?" Ganondorf asked, impatience again striking him.

"You didn't think the first thing we did after Chi regenerated was run straight into your waiting arms, did you?" Keiko asked.

"We had a plan. We went to other time periods to claim some of Ashley's possessions… win a few helpful items just in case…" Lana said, her smile not as bright, but still there. Still mocking Ganondorf.

"Eight hours of fishing…" Keiko sighed dramatically.

"And among those sacred items was this- Ashley's secret project, abandoned no longer!" Lana shouted, a note of triumph in her voice.

"Big Brother! Or Big Sister, whatever you are. Regenerate! You're needed! You mustn't die!" Keiko cried out, opening the bottle. The silver dust flew from the bottle into the Doctor. Twilight stepped away, as the Doctor was pulled to his feet. Silver light was shining from his five limbs, as the regeneration process worked overtime to bring back someone from further than it was intended.

"What is it you've always told me, Ashley? Brave heart?" Lana pleaded, seeing a faint flicker.

"You must survive… many of your enemies would delight in your death, Chi," Keiko added, catching on.

"Please, Doctor… survive… please… I haven't even had the chance…" Twilight muttered. Lana shot a look at Twilight- she had been meaning to ask about that, and being reminded of that now of all times was quite irksome. With one final blast, the silver regeneration shot forward, striking Ganondorf, blowing him away. Lana, Keiko, Twilight, and quite frankly everyone who had made it to this part of the field looked at the blast's origin, hoping for the Doctor's reappearance.

What they saw was a man, staggering about. Twilight quickly grabbed him for support, and Keiko grabbed his Luminal from the grass. With an untidy mop of red hair and a very ruddy face, the Doctor didn't exactly look like one in the hour of need.

"What's this… where am I?" the Doctor asked, eventually looking down into his pants and shirt. Definitely a man again.

"Big… Brother... this is Hyrule Field… and we're here to put a stop to Ganondorf…" Keiko explained apprehensively, holding out the Luminal. The Doctor took it, and inspected it. He looked up, and noticed the looming form of a massive boar. A much more impressive mane of red hair surrounded a face with murderous eyes and very murderous tusks. Golden gauntlets on his forelegs said, without a doubt, this was Ganon.

"You expect me to go up against that… with a… what is this I'm holding?" the Doctor asked, holding the Luminal up with the pointer backwards.

"Oh dear… well, it worked. Boys! I'll need to bring Chi back to his senses! Keep Ganon engaged until I can get him back! Girls! You too! No slacking off! We need as many targets as we can get!" Keiko commanded. Everyone rushed forward, brandishing blades and alternate weapons to fight the great King of Evil with. Lana, Keiko, and Twilight remained by the Doctor. One look at Twilight's blushing face, and Lana sent Twilight off after Ganon, too.

The Links surrounded Ganon on all sides, brandishing their swords and their other tools. Ganon got to his feet, and drew two trident-like blades. Time pulled out his Fierce Deity Mask, and put in on. Time drew his double-helix blade, and locked eyes with Ganon. Time swung down on Ganon, who parried it with both tridents. Some Links, led by Wind, swung at Ganon's ankles and tail, while others, led by Twilight, fired from a distance. Sky kept a view from the sky, directing orders. Zelda kept one eye on the Doctor, who was still leaning on Lana as support.

"This is going to be close…" Impa remarked, frowning. Zelda looked at her, and then back at the Doctor.

"I have faith," Zelda stated, smiling. The Doctor had never let her down before, in spite of his Oath and his deaths.

* * *

The Doctor looked all around, a pale field of stars before him. He saw before him the object of sacred light that could pierce the darkness and return light to both his time and the past- the Arrow of Light. But how to claim it…

As the thought occurred to him, starlight began to swirl around him. The figure of a boy and a girl- a Link and a Zelda- appeared before him. The boy was playing a flute, and the girl singing along. Of course! That could help stop Ganon! That's what he needed to do! He could only hope he had what he needed…

"Rhoelle! I know how to beat him!" the Doctor exclaimed, shaking his head free from the last of the dust and fatigue that staggered him. He raised his Luminal, and summoned a saxophone. He beckoned over Princess Zelda, who had her harp at the ready.

"Zelda… I'll need to perform a duet in order to boost the power of the song. Rhoelle, Pi, make sure we're not stopped," the Doctor explained. Zelda, Lana and Keiko all nodded, and got into position. The Doctor let out a very low-pitched, yet still triumphant sequence of notes. Zelda echoed them with an ascending chord on her harp. As Zelda picked up the tune, the Doctor began adding more complicated bits to the song.

"La-la… lalalalaaa~ La la la laa La la laLalalala~ la La laa…" Lana added absently. Keiko added her own addition with the bell. Notes began appearing over the four's heads, and the Doctor switched to a much louder, booming verse. The notes began to flow into Ganon. Ganon roared, and spread his tridents. He turned into a black cloud, and divided into four. The four Ganons resumed regular form- one a menacing dark beast wielding two massive broadswords, one that was basically an oversized boar, one that was a trident-wielding human in all ways but his piggy face, and a beast that came packing gauntlets and a somewhat humanistic bearing- considering it remained quadrupedal. Each one bore a futuristic glyph somewhere on its body- Broadsword at the tip of its tail, Boar on the underside of its belly, Trident on its back, and Gauntlets on his head.

"Those glyphs mean exactly what you think they mean, heroes… a Light Arrow there should stun him, and with so many of you around, one round _should_ be enough… you know, if the Ganons don't distract all of you with their four-ness…" the Doctor explained. As proof of concept, he aimed his Luminal at Gauntlets, and fired a bolt of light. The bolt struck Gauntlets straight in the head, and a trio of Links were quick to capitalise, with the Dreamer being the one to land a decisive hit. Gauntlets was sent staggering back- potentially finished. Boar jumped forward, scattering the Links attacking Gauntlets. One of the Links jumped in front of Boar, staring it down to try and open up its belly.

Time and Sky faced down Broadswords. Time was without the power of the Fierce Deity, so he focused on remaining a nuisance, especially with the power of his Megaton Hammer. Sky tried his hardest to fly around Broadswords, but the beast was clever- it knew Time was poor with a bow. After a while, Sky realised this, too, and shot a light arrow into the air. Broadswords swung around, bringing his tail out of the path of the bolt. Sky hissed, thinking things through.

Twilight looked between her father, for whom Broadswords was posing a great threat to, and Boar, who was on the road to walking over the Link in front of it, despite the Link's muscle. She knew that, with two crossbows, she could aim for both weaknesses, but she couldn't risk it- miss both, and she'd only anger two Ganons.

"Hey there," a female Link called. Twilight turned, to see Linkle approaching. She was smiling under her heavy cowl, and her arrow was already nocked. Twilight realised what she had planned immediately.

"Thank you, sister," Twilight cried, as Broadswords got a blow on Time. The two stood back to back, and fired their respective shots. Light arrows pierced Boar and Broadswords. The Link facing Boar picked him up, and tossed him into Broadswords. Twilight smiled at the sight of no less than fifteen Links (on her side of the Ganons) rush in.

"Wait… Boar's weak point was-" Twilight started, turning to Linkle. Linkle smiled nervously, and nodded. Twilight's expression turned to awe, realising precisely what kind of markswoman Linkle was.

Trident, meanwhile, roared in fury. His Ganons were being eliminated, one by one. He turned to the Doctor, seething with rage. The Doctor called to the Link of this time, and retrieved the Master Sword.

"What makes you think you can stop me?" the Doctor asked, his face lined with fury. Trident growled, and reached behind him. A girlish shriek sounded, and Trident's arm came back into view. Linkle was growling and kicking, but with her cowl caught in Trident's grip, she wasn't going anywhere quickly. The Doctor smiled at the sight.

"Doc... tor…" Trident growled, only becoming more furious at the Doctor's callousness.

"Oh, you expect that to inspire fear? Well, I can tell you two things. One, if you were going for Twilight, you missed," the Doctor babbled, continuing to exude confidence. Two quarrels dug their way under Trident's back, both coated with the force of Light. Trident sunk to his knees, and Twilight blew into the tip of her crossbow. The Doctor took a moment to wink with Twilight.

"Two, no matter which one you grabbed, you would have your back turned to one angry sniper," the Doctor explained, before bringing his sword down on Trident. Lana added a blast of electric magic, and Keiko a few rings of her water bell. Trident vanished into dust, and the Doctor looked up. Broadswords and Boar had clearly done the same… but Gauntlets had not.

"Everyone clear…" the Doctor said calmly. He knew he was speaking to an army of men and women more competent than he, and they would have their own discretion about Gauntlets. Gauntlets roared, and charged the Doctor. The Doctor braced himself against the ground, and brought the Master Sword up. He fired a bolt from his Luminal, weakening Gauntlet's weakness, before the Master Sword's tip came into contact with it. The Doctor began struggling against Ganon's strength, and Lana and Keiko rushed in to help. Linkle and Twilight followed suit, and the Master Sword came in deeper. The other Links started their rush, all making sure that Ganon's final charge wouldn't take anyone with him. They removed his tusks, broke his gauntlets, pulled at his tail… anything they could think of, and everything that Ganon tried. The Master Sword eventually dug its way into Ganon, and he roared, staggering back. The pieces of the Triforce- Power, Wisdom, and Courage- shot out of Ganon, coming forward. The Doctor took Wisdom, Keiko Power, and Lana Courage. The three held the pieces together, reforming the completed shape. The sacred light of the Triforce shot forward, burning itself onto Ganon's skin, and completely enveloping the beast.

* * *

"Well… all's well that ends well, right?" Keiko asked, examining where Ganon had last stood. It was as if he had never come- even the fields, ravaged and browned when he had taken over, had been restored to their vibrant, green state. The Doctor nodded, and turned to the many Links he had summoned. Lana was creating portals for them to return home. The Doctor nodded, watching Twilight wave one final goodbye before she vanished. He turned to the Link and Zelda of this time.

"There's just one thing left for you… return the Master Sword to its pedestal," the Doctor remarked. Link and Zelda nodded, but failed to move. The Doctor shook his head.

"I'm not the one who should do that," the Doctor stated simply, holding the Master Sword's hilt to Link. Link's jaw dropped.

"Me? But I didn't even do anything!" Link exclaimed.

"You came to Zelda's defence while I was in my time. I believe this is yours," the Doctor told him simply, holding up the Triforce piece that dwelled within him. Link and Zelda looked between each other, confused.

"…Oh, right. Lana, do you mind?" the Doctor called over his shoulder. Lana looked up, and tossed him the Triforce of Courage, borrowing Keiko's Triforce of Power to continue to harness the strength to create portals through time. The Doctor held the Triforce of Courage to Link, and Link accepted that. Zelda took her Triforce of Wisdom, saying nothing about the Doctor's error.

"But what of Power?" she asked. The Doctor took a moment to consider it.

"We'll leave it behind when we go forward in time," the Doctor stated finally. Link and Zelda nodded, and turned to leave.

"Time to go, Ashley," Lana called out, waving. The Doctor smiled, and walked up to the three of them. They held out their hands, and disappeared. Their work was done.


End file.
